


Fatal Attraction

by Dream_edge



Category: Power Rangers R.P.M.
Genre: Alternate Universe, Evil Dillon, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Femslash, M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-18
Updated: 2011-06-25
Packaged: 2017-10-20 12:56:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 27,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/213006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_edge/pseuds/Dream_edge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tenaya is the prototype left to wander the Wastes; Dillon is the evil Venjix Attack-bot. Ziggy can't help what he wants. What starts as a dangerous attraction soon spirals into something more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ziggy wasn't sure but he didn't think this happened a lot.

Admittedly, his life this past week had been surreal at best, if not completely insane. After taking the medicine from the cartels, he'd pretty much considered his life over. Some lingering, misplaced survival instinct had made him leave the city as quickly as possible. That same survival instinct, which he was sure was defective by now, had made him partner with the strange, hard-edged, and sharp tongued young woman he'd found out in the Wastes. He'd then, for some reason he couldn't even begin to fathom, allowed her to return him back to the city where every criminal was probably out for his blood. He'd gotten lucky with Tenaya; being friends with her had protected him in jail.

But he knew being friends with a Ranger wouldn't protect him forever. It probably wouldn't even protect him for long.

Still, he'd thought it would protect him for longer than this. Ziggy stared fearfully at Fresno Bob, a cold knot of dread tightening his stomach. He was sure, in that moment, that in a few hours he'd be dead. Not even his strange luck was going to save him this time. Then a man had come out of nowhere and beat the crap out of the men threatening him. Ziggy was starting to think some higher power was looking out for his continued existence, however pathetic it may be.

He watched as the Cartel rushed away from in shock. That cold knot in his stomach was unraveling slowly. He was going to make it. The man that had saved him turned to look at him and Ziggy felt the whole world stop. Ziggy didn't think this happened a lot.

The man was staring at him with heated brown eyes, racking in the sight of him with a slight smirk. Ziggy felt his entire body flush in interest, his pants suddenly too tight. The man was hot, with dark eyes and brown hair, and Ziggy had never seen anyone look at him like that, like he was something that needed to be touched, tasted, thrown against the wall and fucked senseless. He cleared his throat awkwardly and hoped his voice didn't crack or anything. "Um, thank you. I, uh, really appreciate the help."

The man just shrugged one shoulder, still gazing at him like he needed him right fucking now. Ziggy honestly wouldn't object to any plan the man had to get into his pants. Yet the rangers were still waiting for him to find a Ranger Green and he really didn't want to piss him off since they were the ones housing him. He probably needed to get back. He had to bite down on an annoyed groan at the thought and gazed at his savior. He really wanted to stay and see if he'd follow through with the dark promises in his eyes. "I need to go. The others will be looking for me soon." He said, unable to keep a sour note out of his voice.

"You're doing that Ranger thing, aren't you?" The man spoke for the first time, his voice pitched low and deep. A shiver of desire raced down Ziggy's spine. He had never wanted someone liked he wanted this man. There was something magnetic about him, something that drew him to him. He nodded. "Let me escort you. I was heading that way anyway."

Ziggy immediately perked up, a bit of hope sparking in him. "You're a Ranger candidate?" he asked, his tone much lighter than before. The man nodded. A warm smile slid across his face. "That's great! You'd be awesome!" He enthused, starting to bounce slightly on the balls of his feet. He liked that idea. If the man did become Ranger Green then they would have all the time in the world to explore the strange attraction they had to each other. He really liked that idea.

The man smirked at his excitement and approached him. Ziggy stopped bouncing when he did, watching him with a wide grin. "Let's go!" he said. The man nodded, still staring at him with heated eyes. He stepped very close, right into his personal space. Ziggy felt his breath catch and desire flood his veins again when the man's body heat washed over him. "Just want to try one thing first." The man whispered.

Before he could say anything in reply, the man leaned down and kissed him. The kiss was rough, bruising, and passionate. Heat coiled in his stomach, washed through him, and made him press back, tangle his hands in the man's hair. The man was running his hands over Ziggy's sides, tugging briefly at his hair to angle his head better. Their tongues tangled together, exploring each other's mouths hotly. Ziggy arched up into the taller man, moaning softly. He was pulled closer in response, the grip on his sides tight and very warm.

Ziggy pulled away slowly, breathing heavily. He felt flushed and needy, his head clouded. He wanted nothing more than to press back and continue kissing the older man. The man watched him with dark eyes, obviously thinking the same thing. "You know," Ziggy whispered. "I don't actually have any say in rather you become a Ranger or not."

The man smirked. "I know." He answered. He drew back finally and bowed slightly at the waist. "After you." He said. Ziggy smiled at the gesture and turned to go back to the theatre where the Rangers were. He started to walk then turned back to the man. "I'm Ziggy, by the way." He said, surprised he hadn't mentioned it before. He had kissed a man whose name he didn't even know. Hell, he would have slept with him if he'd been asked. Well, after all the trouble his morals had gotten him into lately, he doubted he really needed them.

"Dillon." The man replied. He smiled widely. "Pleasure to meet you Dillon." He said, walking back to where the others were waiting. He never did notice the dark red light that briefly lit up Dillon's eyes.

-0-0-

Ziggy thought that today was turning out to be a very good day. He all but bounced into the Garage, grinning widely. He had been right; the others thought Dillon would make a perfect Green Ranger and he had immediately been sent to retrieve the morpher from Doctor K. Before he'd left, he'd caught Dillon looking at him again, his eyes still containing all those dark promises. If all went well, they'd actually be able to do something about it later too.

When he entered the lab, Tenaya was standing there, watching the computer screens half-heartedly. Apparently Ranger Black was originally designed for a make operator so the Doc was taking today to modify the suit for a female user. She looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you so… bouncy?" she asked, her tone implying that she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

He shrugged. "It's a good day." He replied, his smile maybe a bit too wide. Tenaya hummed, giving him another one of those Looks. The ones where it seemed she couldn't decide if she wanted to bang her head against a wall or bang HIS head against the wall. He did often inspire that reaction in people. There was a flash of light as Doctor K sent the morpher to him. "Protect the morpher with your life. It contains the base DNA code for the Series technology. Venjix must not be allowed to get a hold of it. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Don't worry so much, Doc. I got this covered." He said, already eager to get back to the Rangers and see Dillon bond with the morpher. He was halfway out the door when Tenaya called him back. He turned towards her, trying to keep his expression form being annoyed. "Yes?" he asked. "Be careful." She told him, gazing at him carefully. He nodded and was out of the Garage before either of them could call him back.

Tenaya watched her odd new friend once again bounce out of the room, his grin perhaps too wide and excited. She turned her head to look at the computers. "You do realize that you just gave the morpher to the biggest trouble magnet on the team, right?" she asked sarcastically. All she got in reply was a knowing sigh.

Ziggy raced back to the theatre where the Rangers were waiting. If all went well, they'd have another Ranger in the fight against Venjix and Ziggy would hopefully have a new friend, one he was sure came with benefits. So, to say he was excited would be a bit of an understatement. Really, he couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten laid. All he was sure of was that it had been a long time ago.

Unfortunately, all was not going to go well. When Ziggy got into the main theatre room, the Rangers were gone and Dillon was in the process of beating the shit out of the guards. Ziggy froze, his eyes going wide in shock. That cold knot of dread was tightening in his stomach again and he could feel his skin pale several shades into an unhealthy hue. The last guard finally fell. Dillon slowly straightened, looking up at him with glowing red eyes. _Attack-bot._ Ziggy's mind whispered through his rising horror. _He's an attack-bot. He tricked you. He used you and you fell for it._

"Ziggy." Dillon practically purred, smirking slightly. Despite the situation, a shudder of want traveled down his spine in response to the low tone. A distant, detached part of his mind decided that it was sure his survival instincts were trying to kill him; allowing him to be so attracted to a Venjix attack-bot of all things. Dillon slowly approached him, eyes flickering briefly down to the bag hanging from his shoulder before going back to him. Ziggy wanted to move, to run away, but he couldn't convince his legs do so. Every muscle in his body was slowly freezing, tensing into knots he couldn't undo.

Dillon reached out for him, carefully sliding one hand across his cheek. It was a gentle caress, barely there at all. It was enough to snap him out of his frozen daze. He jerked away, turning to run. Dillon's hand wrapped like steel around his wrist, holding him there. He didn't think when he reacted, grabbing his bag and swinging it at Dillon's head. Dillon ducked out of the way, letting go of his arm. Ziggy spun around and got out of there as fast as he could. He didn't see the older man give an annoyed sigh at his departure and go after him.

Ziggy raced down the streets quickly, his breath burning in his lungs and his legs starting to complain. Even the adrenalin and fear rushing through his veins wasn't enough to push back his body's protests of his headlong rush back to the Garage. Finally, he ducked around the corner and leaned back against the wall, breathing heavily. He dug into his bag; pulling out the communicator he'd been given. "Tenaya." He called, still panting.

There was a minute's pause before the Doc's exasperated voice called back. _"What is it?"_

He told the Doc his recent revelation, the terror easing enough for the first wave of betrayal and disgust to crash down on him. He felt dirty. He had allowed that man to touch him, to use him. More importantly, he'd wanted it. He still wanted it, if he was honest with himself, despite knowing what Dillon was.

 _"Ziggy, be careful. I'm on my way. I'll track you through the morpher."_ Tenaya told him, her voice dark and angry. Hopefully, not with him. He had enough to deal with without his best friend being pissed at him for being an idiot and picking an attack-bot to be Ranger Green because he was too damn eager to get laid to pay any attention to who he was choosing. He was feeling bad enough about it as it was. He agreed and put the communicator away, taking another minute to catch his breath before he started to move again. He quickly picked up his pace until he was once again flying through the streets, trying to remember all the little side routes and short cuts that would get him back to the Garage as fast as possible.

He didn't know what had happened. All he knew was that one moment he had been flying through the streets, almost believing that he might actually have once again somehow survived, and then the next he'd been slammed up against the nearest wall, the brick digging painfully into his back. Already too familiar hands were gripping his upper arms, holding him still. He looked up, right into Dillon's dark eyes. Fear wrapped around his heart. He wasn't going to survive this time after all.

"Hello again, Ziggy." Dillon whispered, a smirk still on his face. Ziggy didn't reply, just stared back up at him in terror. Dillon frowned slightly. "Where's the morpher Zig?" He asked, his voice unamused but surprisingly not harsh. "I know you have it."

He turned his head away, closing his eyes. He prayed silently that Tenaya would hurry up and get here already. "Why should I tell you?" he asked, his voice pitched higher than he would have liked, a clear sign of his fear.

"I'm not going to hurt you Zig." Dillon told him, his frown darkening. "There's no need to be afraid of me. I take no pleasure in your pain." That did nothing to ease the cold knot in his stomach.

"You're a Venjix attack-bot. Of course you're going to hurt me." He said. He continued, a bit of his fear melting away in a rush of anger. "You tricked me. You used me. It was all some game you were playing wasn't it? Uh, I feel sick. I can't believe I let-" He was cut off by Dillon's lips sealing over his own.

He tensed all over again, his brain grounding to a halt. Dillon's lips continued to move slowly against his own, his hands rubbing slowly over his arms as if he was trying to get him to relax. He tried not to respond, he really did, but eventually he found himself softening into the kiss and then kissing back. Dillon pulled away once he did. "That part," Dillon hissed, sounding annoyed. "Was part of no plan. It was because **I** wanted it."

Ziggy gulped and closed his eyes. He didn't want this. He really didn't. Dillon pressed closer, making him gasp. Dillon smirked slightly and leaned in to kiss him again. Ziggy let him do so, let himself give into the contact, let it become heated and passionate. Oh hell, who was he kidding? He wanted this _bad_.

Dillon tugged the bag off his shoulders, slipping his other hand under his shirt. Ziggy shifted onto his tiptoes, wrapping his arms around Dillon's neck. Dillon's hand slowly massaged his back beneath his shirt, licking at his lips before plunging back into his mouth. He groaned softly as Dillon pushed him back against the wall again, heat stirring pleasantly in his stomach. His head was clouding and he couldn't think of anything past just how talented Dillon was with his tongue.

Then the familiar roar of an engine broke through his thoughts, making him pull back from the kiss. At the same time, he heard the com buzz alive again and Tenaya's familiar voice echoed over. _"Ziggy? Ziggy are you okay? Why have you stopped moving? Ziggy?"_

He blinked in confusion for a few seconds, his brain trying to figure out what was going on. Then everything clicked back into place. His eyes widened and he looked back up at Dillon. What the hell was he DOING? His hand itched to grab the communicator and yell about how badly he needed help. He was pretty sure he needed a lot of mental help because whatever sick attraction he had for Dillon couldn't be healthy, not if it was going to get him in situations like this where he was probably helping destroy the city. But the com was next to the morpher. In his bag. That Dillon was holding.

Damn.

Dillon pulled away, his hand slipping out from beneath his shirt. Oddly enough, he looked apologetic about tricking him. "Sorry about this." Dillon whispered softly. Dillon turned away from him, moving down the side street he'd found Ziggy in. Ziggy collapsed to his knees, shock and horror spreading through him. What had he done?

"Ziggy!" Tenaya appeared before him, gripping one of his shoulders. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Tenaya. Tenaya was good. And fast. Very fast. And strong too. And he really wanted the last of that fog in his head to clear. Dillon should not have such an effect on him. "He has the morpher." He told her. She blinked at him then snapped her head the way Dillon had gone. She started to stand up then looked back down at him in worry. "I'm fine. Go." He told her. When she continued to hesitate he shouted. "I SAID GO!"

She tightened her grip on his shoulder briefly before running after Dillon. Ziggy leaned his head back against the wall, breathing deeply and trying to will away the last effects of his most recent make out session with Dillon, before he stood up and ran after the two. Why he was going _towards_ the danger instead of away from it, he had no idea. It wasn't what he normally did and it wasn't like he could help Tenaya against Dillon. He would only get in the way. So, he really had no excuse for going after Tenaya. And Dillon.

He found them fighting it out in an abandoned parking lot. Dillon had acquired a visor of some sort, hiding his face from view and Tenaya hadn't had a chance to morph yet. The two seemed evenly matched. More importantly, Dillon was still clutching Ziggy's bag, meaning he hadn't had a chance to bond with the morpher. A wave of relief washed through him at that, making him feel light-headed. There was still a chance to fix this. Determination welled up inside him. He could still fix this, somehow.

Tenaya dodged the man's attacks, gritting her teeth. Damn this guy was strong. How the hell had Ziggy managed to keep the morpher away from him for this long? The boy gained another measure of respect in her eyes, something he'd been doing a lot of lately. When they got out of this mess she was going to have a talk with the other Rangers about their attitude with him.

The man, Dillon Doc K had called him, caught her fist as she tried to hit him, dragging her closer so he could frown down at her. "You've had upgrades." He muttered. He sounded… was that amusement or frustration in his tone? "Just who the hell are you?" she demanded hotly, glaring up at the dark visor that prevented her from bashing his face in.

His frown shifted into a smirk. "Dillon, Generation 7 infiltration attack-bot." He told her. He shifted suddenly, his head rising to look at something over her shoulder. "Ziggy?" he muttered, his voice containing a dark undertone she couldn't figure out. Oh please no, she pleaded, not daring to look over her shoulder to see if Ziggy was really there. Let Ziggy not actually be there. Instead, she caught a reflection in Dillon's visor and sure enough, there Ziggy was, watching them like he was trying to figure out how to help. What the hell was he doing here?

"Ziggy, run!" She shouted, making a grab at the bag Dillon was holding. He jerked away from her, his action a few seconds slow so that she managed to grab the corner. The contents of the bag went spilling everywhere, the morpher rolling a few feet away from both of them. Tenaya was briefly surprised that she'd even managed to get that. Had Dillon been that distracted by Ziggy's presence?

Dillon tore away from her, making a move for the morpher. She stopped him, throwing him back. For the first time since she'd confronted the man, she was able to reach for her own morpher and morph. The protection of Series Black immediately encompassed her as the suit appeared. This time the suit didn't have the alien feel it had had when she had morphed previously. K had fixed the operator gender issue, slimming down the suit so it wasn't bulky on her, especially around the shoulders. A skirt had even been added and, if she remembered correctly, she had a different primary weapon, something that didn't require as much upper body strength as the blaster did.

She knocked Dillon back farther. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ziggy dart from his place just outside the battle to grab the morpher. Forget helping him with the other team members, she was going to strangle Ziggy for such a stupid stunt like that. She tried to keep Dillon's attention on her but she had the feeling he was watching everything Ziggy did with rapt attention. She really didn't like the idea of him being so focused on the much more vulnerable young man.

All of sudden she found herself flying through the air due to a brutal attack from Dillon. She hit the ground hard, rolling a ways away until she collided with a wall framing one side of the parking lot. She coughed, her body aching in one dull throb. She groaned, slowly rolling onto her side. Her head buzzed from her crash and she had to shake it a little to clear it. "Tenaya!"

She jerked her head up at the shout. Ziggy. Her eyes widened beneath her helmet when she saw Ziggy stumbling away from the slowly approaching Dillon. The morpher was clutched tightly in Ziggy's hands. She swore and pushed herself to her feet. As she rushed towards them, Dillon put on a quick burst of speed, grabbing the younger man by his arm and trying to get the morpher. Ziggy let out of startled yelp, twisting away from him and not succeeding very well.

What happened after that, she wasn't quite sure of. All she saw was the two men grappling for the morpher one minute, then the next there was a violent flash of light as one of them bonded with it. She had one quick moment to think _'Damn it all. Dillon's got the stupid morpher.'_ Then the light cleared and it was Ziggy dressed in the green spandex, not Dillon, and she wasn't quite sure if that was much better. Great, now she was going to have to do both; force the team to give Ziggy the respect he deserved now that he was a Ranger AND strangle him for doing something so idiotic.

Dillon pushed the younger man away from him, sighing in irritation and giving him a look that was hidden by his visor. Ziggy stumbled away even further, his voice muffled but panicked when he shouted at both of them, "I DON'T WANT TO BE A RANGER!"

Tenaya winced at the loud volume since it echoed over the com link in her helmet. Dillon just gave another irritated sigh. "Then you should have given me the morpher." He said, sounding annoyed and yet… amused?

"I'm not that stupid! Why would I give you the morpher?" Ziggy demanded.

"Because then you wouldn't have become a Ranger. Which you just said you didn't want to be."

Tenaya blinked when Ziggy snapped off an answer, watching the two in disbelief. They weren't. Oh they weren't, were they? Dear god they were. They were bickering! Like an old married couple! What the hell did Ziggy think he was doing? "Ziggy!" she snapped, drawing the two's attention away from each other.

Dillon glanced between the two Rangers and sighed, backing away from them. He looked a little… put out. "Alright. You win this time. Good luck with the gofer bot." He told them, pulling something from his pocket. Gofer bot? What the hell was that? Tenaya didn't have time to ask because at that moment Dillon turned his head to look straight at Ziggy. She tensed, hoping he hadn't suddenly decided that he wasn't going to let them win this round and attack Ziggy. Instead he merely inclined his head towards him. "Don't die." He told Ziggy before he threw down a small grey ball, which promptly exploded and covered the small lot with smoke. When it cleared, Dillon was gone.

Wait- what? Had Dillon, an attack-bot of Venjix's and thus mortal enemy of all the Power Rangers, just told Ziggy, now one of said mortal enemy Power Rangers, to NOT die? She turned to look at Ziggy, hoping he could detect the incredulous stare she was giving him through her helmet. "What was THAT?"

"Um…" Ziggy muttered, sounding about as confused as she felt. She wondered if Ziggy being just as confused at the strange behavior as she was was a good think or not. Before she could grill him for answers, the com buzzed to life, the Doc's mechanized voice coming through. "Series Black, the others require assistance."

She gave the young man next to her a careful look. This was not going to end well. "We're on our way."

-0-0-

Ziggy tried to block out the sounds of the Rangers arguing about his place on the team, burying his face in the pillow. None of them seemed to care that he hadn't had a choice in the matter at the time. Or that he was scared out of his mind about being a Ranger. Or even that he'd pretty much been sexually assaulted by a Venjix attack-bot, albeit a very hot one.

Okay, so maybe he hadn't mentioned that last part. He hadn't thought that telling Scott that he was ridiculously attracted to the man that had tried to steal the morpher for Venjix was a good idea. The Red Ranger had enough reason to hate him right now.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and walked out of his room, heading towards the lab where the others were gathered, still shouting. It seemed like Tenaya was the only one on his side. He wasn't that worried about her; even against the combined forces of the three other Rangers and Doc K, Tenaya could handle herself. Ziggy wasn't sure what he had planned to do or say when he once again stood in front of his fellow Rangers but watching them arguing about what they were going to do with him, like he was just something to be herded around, like they weren't discussing someone's LIFE, was too much. He'd already gone through hell once today and this just pushed him over the edge. Whatever he had planned to do went out the window.

Instead, he punched Scott.

The Red Ranger stumbled away from him, rubbing his jaw and looking shocked. The whole group looked shocked, even Tenaya was staring at him with raised eyebrows, although there seemed to be a note of pride in her eyes. Ziggy stepped back, breathing deeply, and shaking out his hand.

"Feel better?" Tenaya asked him carefully, tensed as if waiting for him to hit her. He thought about it for a minute then found himself nodding. "Actually, yes I do." He told her.

"Well, I'm so glad you are feeling better!" Scott shouted, recovering from his shock. "Why did you hit me?"

"I just thought I should remind you all that this is my life you're arguing about!" he snapped back. Okay, maybe he didn't feel completely better. It didn't help that Summer was the only one to lower her eyes in shame, realizing that it was wrong. The others just stared at him.

Scott apparently was the complete opposite of Summer. "I'm so sorry if we can't accommodate your perfect life!" The Red Ranger snapped. Tenaya tensed at the perceived insult and he winced slightly, but Scott continued. "But we're a bit more concerned with the fact that the safety of the city is now resting with you of all people!"

"And I'm sorry I can't indulge in your team's collected self-pity!" he shouted back before Tenaya could follow his example and beat Scott's face in. "But I have had one hell of a day already without your crap! A man I **trusted** , a man I **thought** was going to be my friend, betrayed me. To _Venjix_. I've betrayed, beaten, played with, used, and thrown aside, and I still have to deal with your ego! I might not be the best candidate, but damn it Scott, at least I'm on your side! But if you all really hate the idea of me being Ranger Green then I'm sure I could find Dillon and give him the morpher! Because guess what Scott, that's the only other option I had!"

The whole room was silent for a long time, the only sound being Ziggy's heavy breathing. "I am about just as thrilled about being Ranger Green as you are about me being it." he whispered after a pause, his voice much softer than before. "So maybe before you start making decisions about my life, cause it's not like I'm a person or anything, I don't have opinions or feelings for you to consider, you should think about that."

That said, he turned around and ran back up to his room. He collapsed on the bed, burying his face in his pillow and trying to breathe deeply. After a few minutes, he heard his door open and light footsteps approach him. Too light to be Scott's or Flynn's. The bed caved slightly under the weight of a new body but he didn't raise his head to see which of the two females in the building it was. It wasn't until he felt the hand carding slowly through his hair that he was sure it was Summer. Tenaya wasn't the petting type.

"You're going to get through this Ziggy." Summer told him quietly. He didn't answer. "You really trusted him didn't you?" she asked. He nodded slightly, not bothering to tell her the real problem. If Dillon had been cruel about the whole thing, maybe he wouldn't be as broken up about it. But he hadn't been, he'd been almost kind. He'd been apologetic. He'd tried not to hurt him. If he'd been brutal about tricking him, Ziggy could have moved on. But Dillon had seemed to generally want him, as something more than just a tool to get what he needed. And that was screwing with his head.

He knew that sooner or later, he'd see Dillon again, more than likely on the battlefield. And he had no idea what to expect from the man, if Dillon would tear into him like he had Tenaya or try to avoid hurting him like he had earlier. It was scary and unsettling. And he wasn't sure what he wanted the man to do either. If he was only an enemy after this, Ziggy could hate him for what he'd done. And he wanted to hate him, it would make things so much easier to just despise the man. But at the same time, some part of him still hoped Dillon hadn't been playing with him.

"I wish this day had never happened." He muttered into his pillow. He wished he'd never met Dillon, that Dillon didn't have such an effect on him. Summer gave a soft sigh and just continued to stroke his hair.

-0-0-

Dillon calmly entered the "throne room" of the palace, gazing up at the tower that was Venjix. He knew he should be begging forgiveness for his failure to gain the Series Green morpher but he couldn't bring himself to do it. After all, today had been a good day, even if Ziggy had become the new Ranger. Ziggy would definitely make the following war much more interesting and much more… enjoyable. A thrill ran through him at the thought of the young man that had grabbed his attention. He had planned everything about how he would get the morpher, except for the effect Ziggy Grover would have on him. He had just thought that helping the younger man would insure he landed at least an audience with the Rangers. After that, he hadn't expected to get anything else from the encounter expect perhaps someone who trusted him amongst the Rangers.

And then, Ziggy had looked at him with wide eyes, something in them calling to him. He hadn't been prepared for the wave of want that had crashed through him and for the longest few moments he'd been able to think of little besides how much he wanted to be inside him. He had needed to possess the younger man, own him, press against him and taste everything the boy was. And the way Ziggy had looked at him, fuck he'd practically been begging him to do it. It hadn't been until Ziggy had mentioned returning to the Rangers that he'd remembered his mission. Even then, he had decided that taking the opportunity to find out what those lips tasted like was worth holding up the mission for a few minutes.

Now all he had to do was convince the boy he wasn't going to hurt him. It wasn't any fun if Ziggy didn't want it, or even pretended he didn't want it. That and making sure the other Rangers wouldn't interrupt them. If any of them knew of his plans for Ziggy, they wouldn't let him within ten feet of him. That simply wouldn't do. That boy would be his. He'd make sure of it. Even if it would be harder to convince Master Venjix to let him keep a Ranger instead of just a normal civilian.

"You dare return to me in failure?" Venjix demanded, the red LED light in the tower glowing ominously. The other two generals were standing in the corner, obviously awaiting his destruction. He glared at them, his lips curling in distaste. They were inferior machines and he couldn't understand why Venjix bothered to keep them around. He turned his attention back to his master. "I would not call this a complete failure, Master Venjix." He said. He had never been the begging type.

"You wouldn't?"

"While it is true that I failed to bond with the morpher before one of the humans, I was able to insure that the morpher did not land in the hands of someone possessing any form of competence for battle." He said. "Also, it appears as though the new Ranger Green possesses a weakness which I should be able to take advantage of easily enough if I can separate him from the other Rangers."

Venjix was silent for a moment before it spoke again. "You have managed to avoid complete disaster. I might still have some use for you. You will not be destroyed… yet. Fail again and I will not be so lineate."

Dillon nodded and bowed at the waist but didn't leave the room. "Do you have something else to say?" Venjix asked. He smirked slightly. "One human in particular has caught my attention. I wish to request that once we have beaten the Rangers, I be allowed to keep him." He said. Venjix would give him this, he was sure. Even with his recent failure, the virus needed him content and submissive. If he was angry, he could do a lot of damage before it managed to stop him.

-0-0-

Ziggy was beginning to think some god had chosen him to be its plaything with all the chaos in his life. Not just one either. There was no way only one had enough time to screw up his life this badly. He looked around him at the Cartel just waiting to ghost him. He had known this was going to happened sooner or later. Eventually, he was going to end up without a protector and this lethal dance he'd been waltzing with death would end. Oddly, he wasn't scared. He was resigned to his fate. Sad but resigned. No one was coming to save him this time. The other Rangers were battling an attack-bot and K, well K had never really liked him in the first place.

Above the resignation and sadness though was determination. No matter what they did to him, he was not going to tell them what he'd done with the medicine.

He told Fresno Bob just that. "No matter what you do, I won't tell you a thing." He said, a bit surprised at the steel in his voice. Well, if this was going to be the last thing he did, it might as well be one of the few things in his life he could feel good about. Fresno Bob smiled but his eyes darkened dangerously, telling him what he didn't say aloud. That had been the wrong answer. "Ziggy, Ziggy, Ziggy." Fresno Bob muttered, shaking his head as if disappointed. Ziggy wasn't fooled; the man was pissed with him. All he did was tilt his head up defiantly, clenching his jaw in a look of stony resolve. Fresno Bob reached forward to grasp his shoulder. Somehow, and Ziggy wasn't quite sure how, he managed to keep his wince from showing on his face as the tight grip dug into his shoulder, surprisingly painful.

"Don't touch him." A new voice called. It rang in his head, echoed past his ears, and sent a familiar shiver down his spine. He lost his stoic mask and spun around, jerking Fresno Bob's hand from his shoulder, to stare at the man standing just beyond the circle of Cartel.

No. Way.

Dillon stood there, gazing at the Cartel with murder in his eyes. The attack-bot glared at Fresno Bob. "Don't touch him." Dillon snarled, his voice promising pain if he wasn't obeyed. Fresno Bob just returned his tight grip to his shoulder, bruising the already sore skin. This time he couldn't hide his wince. A look of fury swept across Dillon's face seconds before he blurred into movement. Ziggy jerked away, pressing himself against the far wall, and watched in horrified fascination as Dillon beat the Cartel into a bloody mess. Several of them seemed to suddenly acquire a brain and fled before Dillon could get a hand on them. Fresno Bob was one of them.

In a few minutes, the room was clear of Cartel, even the wounded finding enough strength to drag themselves away from the monster attacking them. Leaving Ziggy alone with Dillon. He watched the man carefully, unsure what to do. Dillon wasn't facing him, instead glaring out the door after the Cartel members. "Um…" He whispered out.

Dillon's dark eyes immediately snapped towards him, making his mouth snap shut. Okay, attracting the attention of the angry Venjix attack-bot was not his best idea ever. Dillon approached him, making him press back against the wall behind him. In seconds, Dillon was right in front of him, placing a hand on either side of his head, trapping him. He looked up at Dillon, unsure if he should even be afraid. Even in battle, Dillon had never personally attacked him, instead focusing on the others, and this was the second time Dillon had saved him. Dillon just looked back at him, the anger gone from his eyes. "Why?" he asked. "Why help me?"

"Because," Dillon whispered, leaning forward so they were inches apart, his breath ghosting over his face. "You're mine. No one else can have you. And no one can hurt you."

Before he had a chance to think about that, Dillon's mouth crushed against his. At the same instant, one of Dillon's hands moved to grip the back of his head, dragging him closer until he was pressed flush against him. Ziggy gasped sharply, allowing Dillon to plunge his tongue in. He kissed back once the shock faded, spraying both hands across Dillon's broad chest, taking pleasure in the shifting muscles beneath his grasp. A low moan escaped him as their tongues tangled together.

Dillon's other hand started tugging off his jacket, desperately trying to get at as much skin as possible. Ziggy let it fall from his shoulders, hands moving over the curve of Dillon's shoulders to grasp at his hair and neck. Finally, Dillon decided even he needed to breath and pulled back briefly before beginning to bite and lick down his neck. He gasped, arching up in pleasure when Dillon bit down harshly on the side of his neck before soothing it with his tongue, continuing to rub the skin softly between his teeth. Oh, that was going to leave a mark. Somehow, he didn't really mind.

Dillon felt warm under his hands and very, very human. It was almost easy to forget what he really was pressed this close to him, with the Rangers and all evidence of the war far, far away. It was easy to pretend that they weren't enemies when Dillon kissed him, wrapping around him like no one else could have him. Right now, he'd take that illusion and whatever else he could get.

One of Dillon's legs pressed between his, rubbing against his hardening member, making lights explode across his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut, throwing his head back and letting out a soft cry of pleasure. "Fuck." Dillon muttered against his skin, panting heavily. He was grinding against him, his hard on obvious as he rutted against Ziggy's hip. Within seconds, both of Dillon's hands were at his waist, one slipping under his shirt to claw desperately at the small of his back, the other tugging at his jeans.

Ziggy let him do both, knowing in some part of his mind that this was it. Dillon was going to fuck him against the wall and he wasn't going to even try to stop him. Hell, he was going to love every second of it. And when it was all over, when the pleasured haze cleared from his head, reality was going to crash down on him, the illusion was going to shatter, and remind him just who he'd let screw him.

Then Dillon stopped, pulling back with an annoyed groan. He whined, trying to tug the older man back but Dillon was stronger than him, stepping fully away. Ziggy collapsed back against the wall, breathing heavily and shaking. Dillon was staring at the door, glaring at it, and when he spoke, his voice was tight and aggravated but still held a dark, gravelly undertone that made his stomach tighten in want. "Your Doctor K is coming."

It took his muddled brain a few minutes to comprehend that. Doctor K? Who the hell was Doctor K? Surely, they couldn't be important enough to stop what they were-…oh. That's when reality crashed down on him, much more effective in dispersing his arousal than any amount of cold water. Dillon looked back at him, a strange expression on his face. "I'll see you later." He said.

It was a promise.

-0-0-

Doctor K rushed up the stairs of the building, hoping she wasn't too late to save her wayward, idiotic, undisciplined, selfless, perfect Green Ranger. Everything she had thought she'd known about the silly, reckless young man that had accompanied Series Black into Corinth had been tipped on its head a few minutes ago. Ziggy Grover was stupid, clumsy, and had a lot of work to do to be a competent fighter, but he was selfless, passionate, caring, and determined. He was the one thing the team had been missing, a heart. And she was not about to let her team lose that.

She hit the last stair at a dead run then immediately froze as the door opened and the last person she'd expected to see walked out. Dillon. Horror spread through her as he walked past her, images of all the horrible things he could have done to Series Green running through her head. She looked up at him, his eyes unreadable, her own pale image reflected back at her. She watched as he walked calmly down the steps, making no move to attack her even though he had to know whom she was. It wasn't until the attack-bot was on street level that she unfroze and tore into the building.

Series Green was sitting on the ground against the far wall, somehow still alive and in one piece. He was shaking, breathing heavily, flushed, and there were a few bruises appearing on his neck but other than that, he seemed to be in one piece. Her breath shuttered out of her in relief and she quickly ran up to him, dropping down to her knees. "Series Green? Are you alright?" she asked. He looked at her, his brown eyes hazy but he seemed to realize who she was. "Doc?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Are you alright Series Green?" She asked again. "I saw Dillon leave. Did he hurt you?"

Series Green stared down at her for a minute and then turned to look at the rest of the room, obviously confused. "He saved me." He whispered, his tone… wondering and amazed. She blinked in surprise. Dillon had… what?

"He saved you?" she repeated. "Why? That doesn't make sense. You're his enemy."

He gulped slightly and raised one hand to rub at the bruises on his shoulder. "I'm alive." He said, sounding more shocked about that than anything. K sighed a little but couldn't stop a small smile from crossing her lips. She might not have gotten here soon enough to save him from the Cartel, but someone had and he was all right. "You're alive." She agreed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her suddenly, looking at her in confusion.

"I came to save you." She stated. He merely looked at her. She pulled his morpher from her pocket and handed it to him. "I believe this belongs to you. Your friend Benny told me everything."

A small smile appeared on his lips. "Good, ol' Benny." He whispered. "Thank you."

She merely nodded and helped the young man to his feet, grabbing his jacket off the floor for him as well. "Go do your job." She ordered. His small smile developed into a familiar wide grin that she had to return with a smile of her own. She watched as her Series Green rushed out the door to help the other Rangers, the smile slipping from her face.

What had Dillon been planning to accomplish by saving Ziggy?

-0-0-

Doctor K let Series Green leave training early. She told him it was because he had had a rough day and obviously wasn't thinking straight enough to accomplish anything of use. It was partly true, the young man had been distracted all day since he'd returned from battle. But she did have another reason. She waited until she was sure he was otherwise occupied upstairs before she called the other Rangers in, one by one until everyone but Series Green was waiting in her lab.

"What's with all the secrecy Doc?" Series Black demanded, watching with a raised eyebrow as she closed the door. "What about Ziggy?"

"This is actually about Series Green." She answered, ordering her thoughts carefully. This was going to be a tricky situation.

And of course, Series Black cut right through her thoughts before she could. "If this is about his business with the Cartel-"

"It's not." She cut the young woman off, glaring at her. Series Black, while an excellent partner for Series Green, tended to be over protective of him at the worst of times. She glanced over at the other Rangers and found them watching her defensively. It seemed they had all become a little protective of Series Green. It was just as well. The young man seemed to attract the worst attention.

She closed her eyes and sighed before telling them why she had called them in. "I went out earlier to retrieve Series Green from the Cartels. However, by the time I got there, the Cartel had already left. Someone else had saved Series Green." She looked at all of them, took note of the confusion and then surprise and horror when she told them who it was. "It was Dillon."

There was a moment of silence before Flynn decided to speak up. "Wai' a minute. Dillon? The man who frequently tries to kill us? The evil Venjix attack-bo'? Tha' Dillon?"

"That Dillon." She agreed. "Dillon seems to have taken a keen interest in Series Green and I have no doubt that it will not end well. It is possible that by saving Series Green he was hoping to gain some measure of his trust and use it against him. Keeping an eye on both of them would be a good idea."

"Ziggy's not that stupid." Tenaya snapped but even she looked uneasy. Something was shifting in the back of her eyes, like pieces were falling into place. Doctor K resisted the urge to point out that on occasion Series Green could be just that stupid. That would get her nowhere on the matter. "Perhaps not. However, I believe we can all agree that Dillon's interest in Series Green is no small matter."

"Doctor K's right." Series Red stated. Finally, someone reasonable. "We need to keep our eye on both. If Dillon gets close or Ziggy slips up, it could end badly. Did anyone notice this before?" he asked.

She watched as the Rangers shook their heads, confusion on their faces. All except Series Black. The young woman seemed to realize something and closed her eyes with a sigh of defeat. "When we were fighting for the morpher." She called, making the other three turn towards her. "Once Ziggy arrived, Dillon got distracted. He focused completely on Ziggy. If I hadn't been attacking him, I doubt he would have even realized I was there."

Scott sighed. "Why the hell is he so interested in Ziggy?" No one answered him, making him sigh. "Alright. We'll keep an eye on Ziggy, make sure Dillon stays away from him. Tenaya, can you…"

"I'll talk to Ziggy." Tenaya said, nodding.

-0-0-

Tenaya slowly ascended the steps to the upper level, the meeting she'd just come from circling through her head. Dillon was taking a special interest in Ziggy. Of all people, it had to be Ziggy. When she'd told K that Ziggy was a trouble magnet, she hadn't known the younger man was this bad. Some god must hate him.

And honestly, despite what she'd told K, she didn't know if Ziggy really was smart enough to remember not to trust Dillon. He had trusted her after all, even after he'd learned she had Venjix hardware inside her body. It would take him a bit longer to trust Dillon but if the man kept protecting him like he was, eventually Ziggy would trust him. And that would end very badly.

She knocked on Ziggy's door before she entered. Ziggy was already dressed for bed but was just sitting curled up near the headboard, his knees drawn up to his chest. He was staring off into space, eyes dark and unseeing. "Ziggy." She called, watching as his head snapped towards her. He smiled slightly. "Hey Tenaya. What's going on?"

"We need to talk." She told him. He blinked at her, tilting his head to the side in confusion. She approached him, trying to figure out how to say what she needed to. "K told us Dillon saved you." She said. The slight smile he'd had slipped right off and he nodded slowly. "You know not to trust him right? Whatever he's trying to do, it's just a trick. He's not your friend, Ziggy." Saying that brought back to mind what he had told Scott when he'd become a Ranger. He'd thought Dillon was going to be his friend. Did he still hope he would be?

"I know that." Ziggy said."I'm not dumb."

She wanted to feel relieved but Ziggy's voice didn't have enough weight in it to settle her fears, had none of the steel it had had when he'd confronted Scott before. It was empty. "Ziggy are you okay?" she asked. He nodded, giving her an almost too bright smile. She watched him for another minute before sighing. If Ziggy didn't want to talk, she doubted she'd ever be able to get him to do so. "You know, you can trust me. With anything." She told him before turning to leave.

"He's not trying to befriend me." Ziggy called just as she opened the door. Tenaya paused then carefully closed the door again, turning to look at Ziggy. Ziggy stared back, brown eyes open, honest, and slightly guilty. Ziggy took a shaky breath then continued. "He's trying... to seduce me. And it's working."

Horrified realization washed through her. Those dark looks Dillon had given Ziggy she hadn't been able to read, the attention he gave Ziggy. Dillon was attracted to Ziggy, dangerously so. And according to Ziggy, the feeling was mutual. This was worse than she'd thought.

She watched as Ziggy raised a hand to rub at his neck. K had said Ziggy had gotten a little bruised up but Tenaya hadn't noticed the bruises on Ziggy's neck till now. She could see what K hadn't. Those weren't bruises. They were hickeys. She approached him again and this time sat down on the bed beside him. "I want it." Ziggy told her, looking guilty and ashamed. "I want it bad. And when I'm with him, I forget why it's wrong, why I shouldn't. Reality just disappears." He closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. "He feels human Aya."

"Ziggy it's a trick." She told him. "He's playing with you."

"But that's just it." he said, opening his eyes again. "I don't think he is. I think he honestly wants me. He might use it for his own advantage sometimes but the attraction, that's him. It's not fake. It would be easier if it was."

Tenaya wasn't a touchy feely person but she still couldn't resist the urge to hug the younger man. She pulled him close, letting him bury his face in her shoulder. "Don't worry Zig. I'll take care of you." She whispered. Ziggy sighed softly but didn't say anything, just leaned against her tiredly.

Trick or not, she decided, that man was not going to touch Ziggy. Ziggy didn't deserve to be played with.

-0-0-

Tenaya kept a close eye on Ziggy the following week. They all did, but none with her determination. No one else knew the truth. Intellectually, she knew she should tell the others what Ziggy had told her. However, she couldn't bring herself to do so. It didn't seem right. The last thing Ziggy needed right now was another person breathing down his neck because of his affair with Dillon.

And yet, the more she watched, the more she began to understand just how little she knew of the situation. She was beginning to believe Ziggy was right. Whatever game Dillon was playing, it wasn't all a trick. Dillon did seem to at the least be giving the young man some form of protection. It hadn't been obvious at first, but after a while, she'd noticed that Dillon never attacked Ziggy. He never laid a harmful finger on the boy even though he tore into everyone else. And then she began to notice it wasn't just Dillon. Unless Ziggy threw himself at an attack-bot, which he did do a disturbing amount of times, they never attacked him. They stayed away from Ziggy.

She didn't doubt that if Ziggy just stood in one spot during a battle and did nothing, neither Grinder, attack-bot, or general would lay a finger on him. And she could find no other reason for it except that Dillon was protecting Ziggy somehow. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the full reason for that and was just glad none of the others had noticed. That wouldn't be exactly easy to explain.

She wished, above everything, she could grab Dillon and force answers out of him. If she could figure out what parts of this attraction they had for each other were real, and what parts Dillon was faking to use against Ziggy, she might be able to avert disaster.

Before she could figure out how to however, another crisis appeared. Tenaya came awake all at once, staring around at K's darkened lab in confusion. She looked over her shoulder and found Scott holding her waist, the other Rangers further back, all watching her carefully. "What's going on?" she asked. She looked in front of her again and found K standing there, giving her the same look the others were. Tenaya raised an eyebrow at her. "Nice slippers." She said for lack of anything better to say. A bright blush worked its way up K's neck and onto her cheeks in response. She smirked briefly at the small doctor before turning her head to glare at Scott. "Why are you hugging me?" she asked.

He immediately threw both hands up, sheepish grin stretching across his lips. She sat up slowly and got her first good look at the lab. Several of the computers were in pieces. "What happened?" she asked in confusion. It was about then that she found herself being strapped down.

-0-0-

Ziggy stared at the young woman strapped to the table in sadness. Tenaya was trying to pretend to be annoyed at being trapped there but he knew her well enough to see the growing fear and unease in her eyes. The idea of losing control of the virus that had slowly been growing in her frightened more than she was willing to admit.

He listened to the others talk with half an ear, worrying the device that had caused Tenaya to lose control between his fingers. His mind was spinning in a thousand different directions, grabbing whatever ideas it could find. There had to be a way to stop the virus, or even just slow it down. If he could find that way, then maybe that fear building in the dark corners of Tenaya's eyes would go away. He resisted the urge to sigh, grinding his teeth. He was going to kill Dillon for this.

His mind ground to a halt. Oh boy. That was a stupid idea, even for him. In fact, it was probably suicidal. But, for some reason, he had the feeling it might work. He put the device down on the edge of the table, patted Tenaya's hand, not that she noticed, then carefully slid out of the room. Once he was sure none of the others had noticed, he ran out of the Garage as fast as he could.

It was stupid, it was dangerous, but a high-ranking attack-bot in Venjix's army seemed to actually like him. It was time he used that to his advantage for once.


	2. Chapter 2

Ziggy watched Dillon pace the small side street they'd met in warily. He'd known that if he'd gone out alone, without anyone else around, Dillon would find him. And Dillon had. He'd seemed almost pleased that Ziggy had been the one to purposely pull himself from the team just to see him. After all, he was the one that always had to be convinced to give in to their attraction-even though he didn't really require much convincing-. At least, he had been until Ziggy had told he needed his help and just what that help entitled. Telling the evil Venjix attack-bot that he needed him to go behind his master's back and get a program to help the Rangers, more specifically, one that wasn't Ziggy himself, hadn't gone over well. Ziggy was a bit surprised he was still standing.

"Do you understand what you're asking me to do?" Dillon demanded, looking over at him with angry eyes. He nodded slowly, really hoping this wasn't that point where Dillon punched him. That small nod just seemed to upset Dillon even more. "You're asking me to betray Venjix! My master! For that woman! I could die! Give me one good reason I should do this!"

Ziggy stared at the older man for a while, resisting the urge to say it was because Dillon would be doing the right thing. That wouldn't go over well. There had to be something he could say that would convince Dillon to help him. He knew Dillon had to have some sort of weak spot, something that would make him cave. If he could figure out what it was…

He had to resist the urge to bang his head against the wall in realization. He knew what Dillon's weak spot was. "Because I'm not asking you to betray Venjix." He whispered, making Dillon look at him in disbelief. "I'm asking you to help me." Dillon's eyes softened just minutely, his guard loosening. Ziggy pressed the small advantage he'd been given. "She's the only family I've got Dillon. I can't lose her. Anything that could help, the smallest thing that could just give us some time. That's all I'm asking." His eyes started to sting with tears but he didn't care. "Please." He whispered after a moment.

Dillon's weak spot was him.

Dillon approached him slowly, looking unsure of what to do. Finally, he reached up and caressed his cheek, watching him with careful eyes. He leaned down, pressing a surprisingly soft, chaste kiss to his lips before he pulled back. "Stay here." He whispered, his breath ghosting over his lips. "I'll be back in an hour." Dillon gazed at him for a long, quiet moment then smirked at him. "You're lucky you're so cute." He said before he left.

Ziggy's breath shuttered out of him and he stumbled back to sag against a wall. Disbelief was raging through him. There was no way that had actually worked. But Dillon had said he'd be back. Maybe… Slowly a wide grin started to spread across his face and a bubbly laugh burst past his lips. This stupid plan might actually work. He couldn't believe it. If ever there was a moment he could truly believe that Dillon wasn't just playing with him, it was now. Despite what he'd said, he was asking Dillon to betray Venjix. And Dillon was going to do it.

That one hour felt like a lifetime as he waited patiently for Dillon to return. No one bothered to call him over the morpher during that time, probably more consumed with helping Tenaya than with wondering where he'd wandered off to. He found that a little surprising. Ever since Dillon had helped him with the Cartel, everyone had been keeping a close eye on him. He had understood they were worried about him and about Dillon gaining influence over him -considering what he was doing right now he guessed they had a reason to be-, but after a few days it had gotten annoying. He'd just smiled and bared it though, not willing to have anyone but Tenaya know just how screwed up the situation really was.

He was just starting to get worried that something had gone wrong when the sound of footsteps met his ears. He jerked his head up, bracing himself for a fight in case it wasn't Dillon. But it was Dillon. He seemed to be in one piece and he didn't look upset. That was good. He relaxed immediately, smiling slightly at the older man. "Dillon, how did it go?" he asked.

He didn't get an answer. Dillon pushed him roughly back against the wall, instantly attacking his mouth. Ziggy stiffened in surprise briefly before starting to push him away. He didn't have time for this. He had to get back to the Rangers and help Tenaya.

Dillon pulled away to give him a suffering look, rubbing against him. He gasped, his eyes squeezing shut. He could stay for a few more minutes, couldn't he? A few minutes wasn't going to hurt anybody. Tenaya could wait that long, right?

"How did it…go? He asked again, his breath hitching in pleasure as Dillon started sucking along his neck. "Fine." Dillon muttered against his skin. He shifted suddenly, his fingers lacing with his in an unusually affectionate gesture. Then Ziggy felt something cold and square press into his palm. Dillon pulled away from him, allowing him to curl his fingers around the flash drive he'd been given. The older man continued to stare at him for a minute, and then slowly trailed one hand over the smooth skin of his arm, sending shivers of warmth across his skin. "One day, I will have you." Dillon promised.

Ziggy shuddered at the thought but pushed it aside. Tenaya needed his help. He could manage to push Dillon away at least once this time. It would be the first time he ever managed to it and knowing him, it would probably be the last. But just this once, he could do it. He started to move away when Dillon threw him back against the wall, staring at him darkly, almost glaring. Ziggy gulped nervously, wide-eyed. Dillon had never looked that angry with him before. Irritated sometimes, but never angry. Great, now what had he done to piss Dillon off? "Why do you trust me?" Dillon demanded suddenly. He looked as if it had been bothering him for a while. "You're not that stupid, no matter what the other Rangers seem to think."

"Because I'm going to have K check it." He answered. It would be a pain explaining where he'd gotten it but nothing was going to be done with it until it was given a full examination. He liked Dillon well enough but he wasn't stupid enough to trust him. Not with something like this. His safety, his body, that he could trust Dillon with. But he was not going to trust Dillon when the other Rangers and the safety of the city got involved

Dillon continued to stare down at him. His eyes were unreadable and there was still tension in the line of his shoulders. His answer didn't seem to have helped him much. "You shouldn't trust her like you do." Dillon finally said. "She's not telling you everything."

Ziggy blinked in confusion, not sure what Dillon meant by that exactly. He certainly sounded serious. Finally, he just said, "I'll keep that in mind." He slipped by Dillon and walked away then, Dillon letting him do so this time. He was at the lip of the side street when Dillon spoke up.

"Ziggy." He turned around at the call to gaze at Dillon questioningly. Dillon was smirking at him, a note of playfulness in his eyes that seemed to make his whole face light up. Ziggy had never seen him look like that before. "If I'm suddenly not showing up at battles any more, you'll know what happened." Dillon told him. There was a warning in there somewhere but it was overlapped by the joking tone. Dillon didn't seem to honestly think he would get in too much trouble even if someone did find out what he'd done.

He couldn't stop the small, fond grin that bloomed across his face from appearing. "I'll see you again." He said, speaking it as a promise, before finally leaving the small side street and heading back to the Garage. He was aware of Dillon's eyes on him the whole time and it made a small bubble of warmth burst in his chest knowing Dillon was taking care of him for some reason.

When he got there, the Garage was in chaos. Tenaya was loading bags into the black Ferrari she always drove, obviously trying not to pay any attention to Scott shouting behind her. Scott, for his part, looked like he was becoming more and more flustered the more Tenaya ignored his attempts to convince her to stay. The other two Rangers were coming from other parts of the building to watch the confrontation warily.

He was about to interrupt the argument when K walked out of her lab, heading towards the two with quick steps. Before the arguing pair even had a chance to acknowledge her presence, the tiny doctor reached out and grabbed Tenaya's hand, promptly locking a cuff across her wrist. The whole Garage went silent as they stared at her, looking as if they thought she had gone crazy. Ziggy felt his eyebrow shoot up in a look remarkably similar to the ones Tenaya usually gave him. The silence did nothing but allow them all to hear the second cuff click into place around K's own wrist.

Tenaya continued to blink down at the young doctor in shock. "Uh… K?" she finally muttered.

"Yes Series Black?" Doctor K inquired, completely blank faced about her actions. Tenaya stared at her for another few minutes, mouth moving soundlessly before she held up the hand K had just handcuffed in confusion. "Care to explain?" Tenaya finally managed to get out. She looked horribly startled and confused, unsure how to react properly. K's nonchalant attitude probably wasn't helping. In fact, it was probably just making her even more uncomfortable.

"This city requires a full team of Rangers if it is going to survive Venjix's attacks. We cannot afford to be a Ranger down Series Black. You will have to stay here where you're needed and I will keep you here, by force if necessary." K replied. Tenaya just gapped at her.

Ziggy had to say something to all of this. Really, there was no way he could stay silent. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, drawing their attention. "Huh. This is interesting." He told them calmly. He raised an eyebrow at Tenaya. "I didn't know you were like that." He added, just to rile her.

"This is NOT what it looks like." Tenaya said hurriedly, a bit louder than was necessary. He nodded his head and gave her a smile. "Okay." He said, his agreement sounding sarcastic at best. He glanced over at the young doctor and found a warm, bright blush spreading up her cheeks rapidly. Now that was interesting. He smirked slightly and approached her. "Can you look at this for me?" he asked, handing her the flash drive.

Tenaya immediately looked suspicious, giving him an apprehensive glare. On the other hand, K was turning the tiny device over and over in her hands curiously. Finally she turned and headed for her lab. The sudden movement jerked Tenaya around, forcing her to swing her arm over her head at a weird angle. "Hey wait! Uncuff me first THEN look at it!" she complained, making the others laugh softly.

Ziggy followed her into the lab, talking quietly. "I'd put up a few firewalls or whatever they're called. I don't entirely trust where this came from." That got him another narrow eyed look from Tenaya, who already looked pissed off at being dragged around by someone who was at least a head shorter than she was. K just nodded, already setting programs up on her computer.

He watched anxiously as she plugged it in, hoping against all reason that he had been right in doing this, that Dillon really had helped him, that Dillon wasn't going to betray his trust with this. He breathed a sigh of relief when something didn't immediately go wrong and K didn't announce a virus attack. This might just work. K stared at the screen for a few minutes with a hard look and eventually Tenaya leaned over her shoulder to gaze at it as well. "Looks encrypted." Tenaya observed, making K nod. Ziggy's heart sank a little and he closed his eyes, trying not to let his disappointment show. Why had Dillon given him an encrypted copy? Even he knew that was useless.

The slow, hesitant typing of K's keyboard made him open his eyes again. K was frowning at her computer as her hands slowly moved across the keys, typing much slower than normal. Suddenly, she stopped and glared up at him, her blue eyes sharper than normal. "Where did you get this?" She demanded.

"Nowhere." He said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Nowhere, Series Green, seems to suddenly coincide with a Venjix base because this is Venjix code." She hissed. Tenaya suddenly joined her in glaring at him. "Tell me you didn't." The Black Ranger demanded. "Please tell me you didn't."

"Okay, I didn't." he replied dutifully, making her groan. He kept going despite the fact that she was probably going to chew him out later. "And how do you know its Venjix? I thought it was encrypted."

Doctor K's eyes had gone cold by now but there was something uneasy shifting in them. "I unencrypted it." she snapped quickly. He frowned at her in confusion. He was pretty sure it wasn't that easy. _"You shouldn't trust her like you do. She's not telling you everything."_ Dillon's voice rang in his head but he pushed it, and the sudden unease building in him, away. "Then you can tell me what it does?" he asked brightly.

Doctor K gave him an annoyed look but her eyes seemed almost drawn back to the code printed across her screens. She gazed at it for a minute before her eyes widened and she peered at it more closely. Her lips were moving silently, almost as if she was working something out. After a moment her eyes widened in surprise and shot up to him again. "This is…" she whispered. Her voice was soft and disbelieving. And hopeful.

"What?" Tenaya demanded, still glaring at him.

"It's the virus program." K said, almost as if she didn't believe it herself. Tenaya's eyes shot back to her, widened in surprise and confusion. "What?" she asked again, looking horribly confused.

"It's the program controlling the virus in your hardware. With this we can slow it down. I might even be able to engineer a cure in time." K said. She looked back up at him. "Where did you get this?"

He just smiled widely, warmth uncurling in his chest. "I have connections." He said with a shrug. Dillon had helped him. He'd come through for him.

K looked like she was going to press the subject but Tenaya gently grabbed her wrist. "How soon can you get that cure?" she asked, voice tense. He could see her desperately trying to fight down any hope that tried to emerge. She didn't want to be disappointed. K seemed to sense that and actually smiled at her, a soft, gentle smile he hadn't thought he'd see from her of all people. "Not long. Three months, at the worst. I can slow it down now."

"I'd like that." Tenaya whispered, nodding slightly. She paused and then gave K an irritated look. "First though, _will you uncuff me?_ " she demanded, holding up the cuffed hand. K blinked at her in confusion for a moment. "Oh." She said finally, turning to grab a small key the corner of her desk. He watched as K quickly undid the cuffs, Tenaya rubbing her wrist.

As K ordered the Black Ranger to sit on the exam table, he was given another dark glare from Tenaya. "Don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you brought this back." Tenaya hissed. "I can't believe you went to him."

"Okay." He agreed, still unable to wipe his bright smile from his face.

-0-0-

Ziggy was going to be in so much trouble for disappearing before Tenaya had gotten the chance to yell at him. Once he'd gotten confirmation that Tenaya was going to be okay for now, he'd slipped out of the Garage. The other Rangers had been crowding her, excited over this new development, so she'd never noticed him do it, not until it was too late and he was already out at least. His morpher hadn't gone off and he hadn't heard Tenaya's car yet but he was going to be in a lot of trouble. Especially once the others learned where he'd gotten the flash drive.

Still, he had to thank Dillon for helping him.

And somehow, just as he knew he would, Dillon came to him. He'd gone to his favorite part of the city this time. It was high up and had a beautiful view of the city, especially at night. Not many people came here, so he'd thought it would be the perfect place to go. Not even the Rangers knew about this spot. After a few minutes, Dillon appeared next to him, settling against the railing and gazing out at the rest of the city, his position mirroring Ziggy's. They didn't say anything for a long moment, instead just gazing out at the rest of the city. Then Dillon turned his head to look at him. "Need something else, Zig?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He smiled and shook his head. "I just wanted to thank you. You really helped me out today." He answered softly.

Dillon's eyes softened for a minute before he smirked, his eyes once again guarded like they always were. "Don't expect it to happen a lot." Dillon warned. He shrugged one shoulder briefly; he didn't plan to have to ask something like that again. Still, he couldn't make his fond grin go away. He turned back to the view silently. Dillon continued to look at him though and he was aware of the feeling of Dillon's eyes tracing carefully over his features, hot and admiring.

"Like what you see?" he asked quietly, his tone joking. He glanced at Dillon out of the corner of his eye and found the older man watching him with a small smile. "Always have." Dillon told him, his smile turning into a smirk. Ziggy laughed softly and once again turned to face him fully.

Every other time before this, it had always been Dillon who kissed him, Dillon who always had to wait while reality disappeared from his mind and he could give in and kiss back. This time it was Ziggy who reached up and curled his hands in Dillon's hair, pulling him down into a kiss. For the first time, he gave in fully to what he wanted. For the first time since he realized Dillon worked for Venjix, he kissed Dillon knowing with all his heart that when it was over, he was not going to regret this in anyway. Screw whatever the hell Dillon was supposed to be. He didn't care anymore.

Dillon's arms immediately looped around his waist again, dragging him close as he kissed back. This kiss was softer than usual, less demanding in its intensity, but it still took his breath away. Dillon shifted, turning so he was pressing Ziggy back against the railing, languidly exploring the younger man's mouth. His hand was kneading at the muscles in Ziggy's neck, encouraging him to relax into the kiss. Ziggy sighed pleasurably, all but melting into Dillon's arms. They pulled back after a while and Dillon leaned his forehead against his, breathing a little heavily.

They stayed like that for what felt like forever, sharing slow kisses that created a pleasant warmth in his stomach. It had none of the hurried passion of before; it felt much more… intimate, in a way. Now, they took the time to map out each other's mouths, to learn the lines and curves of their bodies, instead of merely trying to get at as much skin as fast as possible. It was slow and almost sweet. This was a lover's kiss.

Finally, Dillon pulled back fully, arms slipping from around his waist. "Anything else I can do for you?" he asked. Ziggy smiled lazily and shook his head, sighing in appreciation when Dillon started to stroke his hair. Dillon didn't really seem willing to leave, as if he was worried that when he did, Ziggy would go back to how he was before, trying to ignore the attraction. "You sure?" he asked again.

He rolled his eyes and pretended to actually think about it when a thought did emerge from the pleasurable haze of his mind. "Why was the file encrypted?" he asked, looking up at Dillon. Dillon stepped closer to him again, leaning down to gently kiss at the curve of his neck. "If I'd taken it from the main computers, Venjix would have noticed immediately. So I downloaded it from the attack-bot. Those files unfortunately, were encrypted. Not that it seems to have given you any trouble." Dillon told him quietly, in between slow, openmouthed kisses and light bites. He reached up and ran his hands over the length of Dillon's back.

"And what exactly," he asked slowly, humming in bliss as Dillon continued his investigation of his neck. "Would it take to unencrypt them?"

He felt the muscles under his hands move in a shrug briefly. "Venjix base code." Dillon muttered distractedly, his lips finding the piece of skin he'd bit so harshly during the incident with the Cartel. He nipped at it, playing with the skin until another hickey was sure to form. Ziggy's mind went briefly blank in pleasure and he moaned softly, tilting his head to the side so Dillon had better access. After a moment, Dillon pulled back and blew softly against the reddened skin, making a shiver skate down his spine in pleasure.

It took him a few moments to reorganize his thoughts in order to ask him the next logical question. It didn't help that Dillon's hands had once again slipped under his shirt to brush across his skin softly and he had moved to the other side of his neck. "Where would Doctor K… mmmmh… have gotten the base code?" Dillon paused suddenly and then started to pull away, his hands slipping out from under his shirt. Ziggy felt cold. He whined and tried to pull Dillon back but Dillon just caught his hands in one of his and held them to the side.

Dillon looked at him with dark eyes. "Ziggy," he whispered softly. "Who do you think made Venjix?"

-0-0-

Ziggy walked back into the Garage tensely, his jaw clenched shut. It was impossible to mistake the anger in his eyes. His hands were balled into fists as he stalked through the building towards the lab. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do once he saw K but he was sure it was going to involve violence of some sort. Okay, perhaps he wasn't exactly thinking straight but he couldn't think past the rage and betrayal roaring through him. Halfway there, Scott appeared in front of him. "We need to talk." Scott said seriously.

"Not now." He replied back, his voice tense. Scott paused briefly in surprise at the anger in his voice, allowing him to brush by and continue to the lab. Almost immediately though, Scott snapped out of it and went after him. "Ziggy!"

He ignored the Red Ranger. Entering the lab, he spotted K examining Tenaya, who was sitting on the table. Tenaya glanced up when he entered then straightened fully, pushing K away to approach him. "You! Big trouble!" she shouted. Apparently, now she wanted to chew him out for talking to Dillon and trusting him to help them. Too bad. Unlike when he'd left, he was in no mode to be lectured. At least Dillon told him the truth. Unlike someone he could point out.

K glanced over at him as well, blue eyes hiding all the secrets he was now sure she had. Dillon's words flew through his head again, just as they had been his entire way here. Again, all they did was feed his anger. _"I don't know why but I do know it was your Doctor K that created the Venjix virus. And it was her that unleashed it. Beyond that, you'll have to ask her."_ He brushed past Tenaya just as he had with Scott and approached the young doctor. Then he proved himself right. He did do something violent.

He punched K.

The young woman tumbled to the ground with a cry of pain. Immediately, Scott's arms wrapped around him, dragging him away from K. Tenaya ran to K's side, dropping down next to her and helping her into a sitting position. Tenaya looked over her carefully before snapping her head around to glare at Ziggy, one hand still placed reassuringly on K's shoulder."What are you doing?" Scott demanded, yelling into his ear. He struggled against the hold, glaring down at K. K looked up at him with wide, pained eyes. Her lip was split and bleeding and her cheek was slowly bruising.

"You stupid bitch!" He shouted at her. "How could you?"

"Ziggy calm down!" Scott shouted, struggling to prevent him from hitting her again. Tenaya stood up, approaching him quickly. Only Ziggy noticed K's eyes slide closed, her expression turning resigned. Just as Tenaya started shouting at him, K opened her eyes to look at him. That look told him everything he needed. Dillon had been telling him the truth. It had been K that had created and released Venjix. Still, he needed to hear her say it. The others needed to hear her say it.

"Ziggy, I don't know what you've been talking to Dillon about, but you've really gone too far! I thought you knew better than to trust him! Whatever lies he's been telling you, you need to realize he's playing you!" Tenaya shouted. It was obvious from a single look that the young woman was struggling not to hit him; to pay him back for the pain he'd just caused K. Her eyes were spitting fire and the only reason he probably wasn't laid out on the floor right now was because Scott was partially in the way. And the only reason Scott was remaining in the way was because he was obviously convinced Dillon had twisted things around in his head. But never had he been surer that he was right in trusting Dillon.

"Fine!" He shouted, cutting off Tenaya's rant. He snapped his glare back to K. "Then tell me the truth! Are you or are you not the one who created and released Venjix?"

The whole room went silent for a moment, the two unknowing Rangers gazing at him like they thought he'd gone crazy. K's eyes gained a hint of panic before they once again turned resigned. Then Tenaya erupted. "What the fuck? What the hell kind of nonsense has Dillon been putting into your head? And why the hell are you even fucking listening to him? You should know better! You're not a complete moron Grover! Scott, move! I'm gonna deck him! He needs some fucking sense beat into him!"

Scott didn't seem sure what to do, gazing between the other three people in the room in confusion. Tenaya, however, was obviously in no mood for any of their crap. "Damn it Scott! Move! Or I'll hit you too!" She snapped.

And then, soft, beneath Tenaya's yelling, as if afraid they'd be heard, two words drifted through the room. "I am."

It took a moment for any of them to register K had even said anything. Scott was the first, whipping his head around to stare at the young doctor slowly pushing herself to her feet. "What?" he asked, like he wasn't sure if she had even said anything. His grip on Ziggy loosened, allowing the young man to jerk free. Tenaya briefly looked like she was going to take that moment to deck him before she paused. She blinked slowly, the anger leaving her eyes to be replaced with confusion and denial.

Tenaya slowly turned around to gaze at K with wide eyes. "What?" she breathed, sounding shaken and… scared? No, it couldn't be. Tenaya was never scared. Tenaya was hardheaded and sarcastic. She was all sharp, deadly edges. She was never scared. But the look remained. She was practically begging K to deny it with her eyes. K met her eyes briefly before looking away, steadfastly not looking at any of them. She took a deep breath before she spoke again. "I am… the one who created and unleashed Venjix. Everything that has happened to you… it's all my fault."

The urge to punch K again flooded through him. He would have to, if Tenaya hadn't made an aborted step back, away from K. He glanced at her and the minute he did, that violent urge disappeared. Her expression contained none of the anger he'd been expecting, none of the anger that was probably in his own. Instead, she looked shattered, betrayed, and pained. Her eyes were broken. And it seemed that at any moment she might start crying. Ziggy wasn't expecting that. Tenaya always kept so many walls between her and the rest of the world. She'd never looked as vulnerable as she did right now, not even when she'd been presented with the news of the virus taking over her body. He hadn't realized she'd become so close to K.

K looked at her again and flinched slightly at her expression. She stepped forward, reaching out a hand towards her. Tenaya just took another step back, still looking like her entire world had just fallen out beneath her feet. "I trusted you." She breathed, her voice shaky at best. She was falling apart before them, slowly but surely, and it broke his heart to realize it. K just stood there, her lips moving silently as she tried to grasp the words to fix the damage her single admission had caused. "I'm sorry." She finally whispered. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

Tenaya just shook her head slowly, backing away again. "No." she whispered. "How can I trust that's the truth after this? How can I trust anything from you?" She closed her eyes, tears slowly sliding down her cheeks. Finally, she spun on her heel and ran out of the lab. K stepped forward again. "Tenaya!" she shouted after her, reaching out a hand again. It did little to stop Tenaya's headlong rush out. Slowly, K's hand dropped back to her side and a shudder whacked her small form. Her eyes remained trained on the door; as if she thought she could pool Tenaya back through sheer force of will. Eventually, K turned back to look at him with crushed, tearful blue eyes. "I understand if you wish to hit me again, Ranger Green." She whispered softly.

But he couldn't. Not when she looked at him like that. It was then he realized perhaps the most important thing of this entire incident. It was something they had all been trying to get out of her, had been hoping for since they'd joined. Except now, it didn't make him feel any better about the situation. In fact, it just made him feel ill as the true meaning sunk into him. K had truly cared about Tenaya.

K had called Tenaya by her name.

-0-0-

Ziggy had known this was a bad idea from the beginning. Going out into the Wastes, to Ground Zero of all places, was perhaps the worst idea any of them had ever had. And considering they'd all done really stupid things (him having an affair with the enemy, Scott using a baby as a weapon, and K ending the world were just a few) that was saying a lot. Still, he hadn't said anything. They were doing this for Tenaya.

Tenaya needed this right now. She had always needed it really, but now more than ever. Ever since K had admitted to making the virus, she had been withdrawn and sullen, quiet and moody. Something in her had been shattered by the truth. She snapped whenever someone tried to get close to her, even him, and that didn't even begin to cover how she treated K. The rest of the team had managed to at least deal with the young doctor with some level of civility because they all knew they needed her. But not Tenaya. She avoided K at all times if she could. When she couldn't, she was alternatively hostile and reclusive. And every time she had to deal with K she came out just a little more broken. And K, who had already been testy, introverted, and demanding before, had only gotten worse in the face of Tenaya's harsh words and sullen, silent judgment.

It had become obvious this past week just how close the two young women had become. Somehow, without any of them noticing, Tenaya and K had become friends. They should have seen it before that connection had snapped. They had acted different around each other; Tenaya, sarcastic and distrusting, had become quick to defend K against any accusations, from anyone. K, reclusive and demeaning, was a bit kinder with Tenaya than with the others, ready to encourage and complement her at any moment. But it hadn't been until that had stopped that they had become aware of the difference. And the difference was not only telling, it was painful.

Although a big part of him still believed the others had deserved to know the truth, he couldn't help but feel like he never should have opened his mouth. The only good the truth seemed to have done any of them was distract the team from asking him about Dillon.

Right now though he was regretting not saying anything about how stupid he thought this plan was. He was all for helping Tenaya recover her lost memories and preferably returning her to her normal level and snark and sarcasm. However, he really wasn't for being strangled in order to do it.

The massive attack-bot pressed closer, its hand closed tight around his neck. Ziggy coughed, struggling to grasp whatever air he could beneath the crushing grip. He had thought the fight had been going well until he'd been thrown away from the rest of the team and been forcibly demorphed. Before he'd been able to do anything, the newest attack-bot had been bearing down on him, restricting his vital flow of air. He really didn't like this situation.

"What is it, I wonder." The attack-bot muttered. Oh great, it could talk. Just what he needed. A fucking riddle to solve while running on dwindling oxygen. "That he sees in you?"

He barely registered the words, struggling to figure out where the hell his team had gone. He could really use their fucking help right now. Better yet, where was Dillon? He didn't think the man liked him being treated like this at all. The hand on his neck pressed harder, demanding his attention. He gasped for air, trying to pry the hand off of his throat. Pain was flaring across his neck, making it hard to focus on actually getting the air he needed. A little harder and his wide pipe would probably be crushed.

"Perhaps," the attack-bot continued. "If I made a doll for him that looked like you, he wouldn't mind me squashing you like the bug you are."

He didn't, he couldn't, say anything in response. He barely understood the words. Everything was dimming in and out. Black spots danced across his vision and his body was starting to go numb. His grip on the arm holding him was weakening, his whole body slumping against the ground. His lungs were burning but he was starting not to notice, slipping in and out as he was. He felt disconnected from his body, his perception dulling. His eyes started to fall shut, the world disappearing around him.

Then the weight was gone and hands were shaking his shoulders roughly. He coughed, rolling onto his side and trying to pull air in between the coughs wracking his body. It hurt to breathe. He slid his eyes open and found Tenaya hovering over him, still morphed. He tried to grin at her but it came out as more of a pained grimace. He spent another few moments just breathing, steadily growing more aware of the battle raging nearby. The other Rangers seemed to be doing all they could to keep the attack-bot off of him until he could recover. "I'm… good." He finally managed to whisper out.

He sat up slowly, raising one hand to brush against his throat. Immediately, pain flared across his skin. He jerked his hand away, flinching again. That was going to bruise big time. Dillon was not going to be happy, he thought cynically. Not happy about this at all.

And of course, it was about that point that they all learned the truth. The attack-bot wasn't just an attack-bot. It was Venjix.

Well, he thought darkly, he was screwed if Venjix himself had it out for him. Even Dillon wasn't going to be able to save him from this.

-0-0-

Tenaya gently probed at the dark, angry bruise decorating Ziggy's neck, trying not to copy the pained wince Ziggy gave. The trip to Kenmore hadn't turned up any information about her past. In fact, the only thing they'd managed to get out of it but trouble was… more trouble, this time in the shape of two hyperactive, completely bat shit insane twins who spent the majority of their time trying to talk her into forgiving K. She couldn't though. If she did, she'd trust her again and she couldn't handle that, not after what had happened the last time she had. She had been hurt too badly by the young doctor to risk it again.

"It seems okay. Not going away though." She told Ziggy. It was true. The bruise had only darkened since they'd gotten back, not gotten better. Venjix had nearly killed the young man. She couldn't believe it, but a part of her had wished Dillon had been there. Dillon was going to cause Ziggy nothing but trouble in the long run and she was sure that whatever relationship they had couldn't be healthy for either of them. But she did know that Dillon at least took care of Ziggy and that was protection he could have used. She offered him a small smile. "It still hurt to breath?" she asked. He shook his head. "Not any more. Still hurts to swallow though."

She did wince that time. "Poor you." She whispered. She meant it as a joke but it came out softer than that, something infinitely sad. Ziggy frowned at her. "You okay?" he asked.

Before she could answer a voice called through the building. _"Series Black, report to the lab for testing."_

She tensed briefly before letting out a controlled breath through her nose. She could handle this. Had managed to handle it the thousand times she'd had to do it before. She could handle dealing with K. "You okay?" Ziggy asked again. She nodded and stood up. "See you later." She muttered, before turning and entering the lab. She didn't notice Ziggy watching her carefully before giving the Garage a narrow-eyed exam and sneak out. If she had, he never would have made it anywhere near the door.

She entered the lab, gathering her walls around her. She needed those walls if she was going to get through this. The young doctor had a way of slipping through the cracks, no matter how hard she tried to keep her out. And it always hurt. "What?" she demanded angrily.

Icy blue eyes glanced at her from over the computer screen, unreadable as always. "Sit down, Series Black." Doctor K instructed calmly. Tenaya revisited the urge to snap, instead intoning acidly, "I thought you were going to call us by our names now."

"The last time I did that with you, you did not seem to appreciate the gesture. Series Black will do." K told her, motioning with her hand to take a seat.

Tenaya ground her teeth together but moved over to the table as she'd been ordered. However much she disliked the doctor, some part of her had taken a silent thrill in gaining the elusive privilege of having K call her by her name. To have her suddenly do that with everyone else had hurt just a little, tearing the unhealed wound her admission had created a little more. Like she'd said, K had a way of getting under her skin, and every time it only seemed to cause her pain.

K stood up and walked over to her, quickly running through the tests to check the level of the virus running through her. This close, Tenaya noticed the dark rings forming around the doctor's eyes, the gaunt paleness of her skin, how thin and weak she seemed. Tenaya frowned. When had K last slept? Or eaten for that matter? She couldn't remember K turning up in the kitchen long enough to get something to eat in days. She bit her tongue to hold in complaints about K's health. That was not her problem. "23%." K told her quietly when she was done. "If it holds at this rate of growth I should have the anti-virus ready in time before anyone has cause to worry."

"Great." She muttered. She stood up quickly and walked to the door. Just before she left fully she turned back to K and asked the thing that had been on her mind for weeks. "Tell me, was it really all an accident or did you just hate the world that fucking much?"

Wide, startled blue eyes gazed up at her for several long moments. "I…" K whispered then couldn't seem to get anything else after that. Tenaya sighed irritably and rolled her eyes. "You know what," she snapped. "Never mind." Then she did walk out, glaring at thin air. She looked around briefly then paused, taking a closer look. Something here was missing.

"Where's Ziggy?" she called. All she got in response was confused looks. "Great." She muttered. She had the feeling Ziggy was doing something stupid. Something that probably involved Dillon.

-0-0-

Really, he had just wanted to get away for a while. The Garage was horribly tense. K and Tenaya were still having their row and everyone was on edge around the twins, unsure what to expect from something whose every other word had something to do with explosives. He had to get away from that otherwise he would go insane. It hadn't been until he was half way to the park that he'd noticed the feeling of eyes on him. He ducked his head down, hiding a smile.

Dillon.

He entered the park, gazing around at the numerous families already playing around before walking over to a small, secluded part with a few trees. He sat down against a tree, putting it between him and the rest of the park. After a few minutes, Dillon approached him, sitting down next to him. "What are you doing all the way out here?" Dillon asked. "Pretty far from the Garage."

"I'm… getting away from it all." He whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"Do I need a reason?" Dillon asked, familiar smirk in place. He shook his head slightly, turning so he was facing Dillon fully. Immediately Dillon leaned down and kissed him. He smiled slightly and kissed back. He hadn't seen Dillon since asking him for help. He missed the feeling of Dillon's body pressed against his, his tongue in his mouth, the pleasant burn of desire rushing through his blood. Dillon's hands curled into his hair, rubbing gently against his skull. Pleasure washed through him in waves.

He pulled back after a minute, panting softly. He pressed Dillon back slightly, allowing him to straddle the older man. He smirked at Dillon, curling his arms around Dillon's neck and leaning closer until their chests were pressed together. Dillon immediately pulled him into another hungry kiss, ravaging his mouth eagerly. He moaned softly, rubbing against the firm body against his. Dillon groaned softly, hips bucking against his. He gasped in pleasure, arching up into him. Realization caused heat to sear through him as he ground back against Dillon in reply. Dillon was hard.

Dillon's hands eagerly pulled his jacket off, throwing the heavy clothing aside before once again slipping his hands beneath his shirt to investigate his abdomen. A slight giggle bubbled up in his throat at the ghosting touch across his sides but it immediately choked off when Dillon's throat rubbed against one of his nipples. He whimpered, gasping breathlessly into the kiss as Dillon played with his nipples. As he did that, he continued to grind against him. Ziggy was light-headed and dizzy with pleasure, and just as hard as Dillon felt. He really, really wished he had decided to go somewhere more secluded than this. For once it didn't seem like anything was going to interrupt them and he needed Dillon really fucking badly.

Then Dillon pulled back and started to kiss his way down his neck.

Ziggy let out a yelp of pain as Dillon's lips pressed against the still sore bruise, jerking his head to the side. Dillon froze against him for a single second before one arm wrapped tight around his waist, holding him in place. The other hand, previously buried beneath his shirt, grabbed his chin and forced his head up. There was a moment of tense, angry silence as Dillon took in the dark bruise covering the majority of his neck. Finally, voice low, tight, and angry, Dillon asked him, "What caused that?"

He groaned, trying to pull free. He was still hard as hell and he really needed release. He wanted to go back to what they had been doing, not talk about fights. But Dillon wouldn't budge, no matter how much he squirmed. Finally, he sighed and muttered out, "Your boss."

Those dark eyes went wide suddenly, the anger leaving them in surprise. Only to be immediately replaced by a burning rage. Dillon growled low under his breath, standing up quickly, causing him to fall to the ground. He whined softly, grabbing Dillon's hand before he could go. "Dillon," he whimpered needily. " _Please._ "

Dillon's eyes softened and he knelt back down again, kissing him. "Relax, Zig." Dillon whispered against his lips, gently pushing him until he was lying against the ground. "I'll take care of you." Ziggy closed his eyes, sinking into the feeling of the kiss, letting Dillon steal his breath away.

Then, without warning, Dillon's hand fell down and rubbed slowly against his crotch. His eyes snapped wide open, pleasure flaring white hot through his whole body. He cried out wordlessly, breaking the kiss, hips arching off the ground into the touch. Dillon chuckled lowly next to his ear, starting to slowly bite and lick along the rim, all the while palming him through his jeans. Ziggy gasped for air, hands scratching along the length of Dillon's back, grabbing fistfuls of cloth desperately in search of an anchor against the waves of pleasure rushing through him.

"Dil-lon…" He panted, sounding wrecked, broken, and saved all at once. He couldn't think straight, his mind washed over in pure pleasure. Dillon quickly undid the button on his jeans, slipping his hand inside to grasp his cock. Ziggy was too far gone at this point to do more than let at a strangled groan, head rolling to the side bonelessly, eyes closed and lips parted as he panted. Dillon kept stroking him, slow at first, then faster and faster, every turn of his wrist causing heat to spin rapidly through him in response. His whole body felt flushed, muscles tensing as he approached that edge ever faster.

Dillon's lips pulled away from his ear so he could watch him with dark, hungry eyes. Ziggy writhed beneath him, the heavy gaze sending just as much pleasure running through him as the hand on his cock. "Ziggy." Dillon breathed, voice low and rough with lust. "My Ziggy." His hand twisted again, thumb running up the underside of his shaft to play with the slit at the top and it was all too much. He came with a sharp cry, body arching up off the ground. Lights exploded across his eyes as he lost himself in the immense pleasure spinning with him.

When he came back to himself a few seconds later, the first thing he noticed was Dillon's lips faintly brushing across his neck, feather light and almost apologetic for the damage done to him. He looked up at Dillon lazily, a warm lethargy spread throughout the whole of him. He smiled softly, pulling Dillon down into a slow kiss. He pulled away after a minute, looking up at Dillon with perhaps more fondness than was truly necessary.

Dillon ran his hand through his hair, brushing some of the more unruly strands out of his face as he did so. After a minute, during which Ziggy started to feel really tired, Dillon leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Stay." Ziggy requested, half asleep. Dillon smiled slightly. "Of course." He replied.

-0-0-

Tenaya raced through the park, distantly aware of the other Rangers running behind her, unable to keep up due to her enhancements. The reason why they were running? A few minutes ago, K had done a search to find the absent Ranger Green. She had found him, and the unique bio-signature of Dillon next to him. The first conclusion any of them had come to was a fight. That had only been cemented when they hadn't been able to get in contact with Ziggy.

Tenaya, though, knew Dillon would never do anything to hurt Ziggy. But he also had no problem seducing him.

She continued running to the location K had given them. The far side of the park, away from the view of the lake so families didn't normally travel over there. Far away, secluded. Didn't really bode well for Ziggy. Finally, she came to roughly the spot K had given her and looked around. She nearly missed them, a tree was in her way, but after a second glance, she caught sight of the two.

She ran towards them, spun around the trees in her way and found something she… wasn't expecting. Ziggy was lying on the ground, his leather jacket placed over him like a blanket, sound asleep. Dillon was sitting right next to him, watching over him with remarkably soft, affectionate eyes. She froze abruptly, blinking in surprise. She had known Dillon seemed to be slightly… obsessed with Ziggy, but she hadn't been expecting sincere affection.

Suddenly, Dillon's eyes shot up to her, once again guarded and defensive. She stared back at him for a long moment. Finally Dillon stood up. "He's pretty deep asleep and I thought that just letting the morpher ring would be better than answering it myself." He told her before turning to walk away.

"Where are you going?" she asked. He wasn't going to fight them?

Dillon paused and looked back at her, the shields in his eyes dropping enough to allow her to see the dark rage hiding there. "There's something I need to do." He hissed. A true shiver of fear rushed over her. Dillon was degrading, sarcastic, and often overconfident. He had never showed that level of pure, raw anger doing a fight with them. It was scary. Dillon turned away from her suddenly and continued to walk away until he was out of sight.

She gulped and walked forward, kneeling down next to Ziggy. She shook him carefully. "Come on Zig. Time to wake up." She whispered. Ziggy muttered under his breath, shifting around. Finally, his eyes flickered open. "Dillon…" he breathed softly.

She sighed heavily. Ziggy's attachment to the attack-bot was getting worse and she highly doubted this relationship was in any way healthy. Ziggy sat up slowly, looking around. "What? Where's Dillon?" he asked, looking over at her. She smiled slightly despite the unease in her gut. "He left when I showed up." She told him. A half-truth but a truth all the same.

The other Rangers finally arrived, looking around tensely. "Dillon's already gone." She told them. "And Ziggy was asleep but he's fine too." She watched as they relaxed then turned back to Ziggy. "We really need to talk. This little relationship of yours can NOT be healthy."

-0-0-

Dillon stalked down the halls of the palace, anger pouring through him. He snarled at any of the numerous machines that got in his way, heading towards the throne room. The image of the dark bruise on Ziggy's neck kept flashing through his head. He could tell from the damage done to his neck that if Venjix had squeezed just a little harder, he would have killed Ziggy. Ziggy would be gone. That was not acceptable.

He barged into the throne room, paying little attention to Shifter talking. "We had a deal!" he shouted. "Ziggy Grover was NOT to be touched!"

The pieced together body Venjix was currently using turned towards him. "The boy is a distraction to you. He is the enemy; you should be destroying him." Venjix turned away from him. "I am currently in the process of making you a copy of the human. You can do with it as you please. And I expect you to destroy the human."

His hands curled into fists and he had to restrain the urge to tear his master apart. As he did so, he became aware of the other two generals currently giggling to themselves in satisfaction. He was aware that they both resented him and the restriction he had put upon them during fights. "If you value your lives, you will shut up." He hissed dangerously, glaring. The fear they immediately displayed eased his rage a little but did little to get rid of it in the long run. He turned back to Venjix. "I don't a copy. I want the boy." He said, his tone dark and leaving no room for argument. "You forget. You need me. I am your front line fighter. I can do a lot of damage, not only to them, but also to you. You need me obedient. And if you want me to stay that way, you will leave Ziggy alone and stop that ridiculous idea of making a copy. If anyone even so much as scratches him ever again, all of you will learn why you don't cross me. I will make you pay."

With that said, he turned around and exited the room to deal with his remaining anger, leaving Venjix to glare at his back.


	3. Part 3

Ziggy was going to get in so much trouble for this.

He looked around the dark, empty Garage carefully; making sure everyone was actually asleep in their own rooms before he stepped out onto the catwalk. Scott was going to kill him. He slipped across the catwalk to Tenaya's room. Quickly, he checked the door and was unsurprised to find it locked. He squatted down in front of the door, pulling out his tools to unlock it. He could hear Tenaya moving in the room now, approaching the door.

"Ziggy?" she called.

"Here." He replied, still fiddling with the lock. It took another few seconds of anxious silence before the lock clicked open. Grinning, he stood up and opened the door to see Tenaya standing impatiently on the other side. Although she tried to look grateful for the help, dark fury still glowed in the back of her eyes. He couldn't blame her for the dark look she was directing at the room at large. After finally, finally, getting some clue to find out more about her past, the team had locked at her up while they tried to figure out how to help her and keep the city safe at the same time.

It hadn't even been very much of a clue. Just a little tune the twins had been singing as they worked that sounded familiar to her. But that mere familiarity had unlocked a whole pile of information from the twins; they had once been in a Venjix working facility where they had been placed in a cell next to a man who had a family heirloom that played that song.

 _"He used to play it-"_

 _"For us before we went to sleep." The twins remembered with fond, but still creepy, smiles. "He said he had a sister." Gemma added after a moment of thought._

 _"He thought she had been taken to a different facility." Gem added._

Tenaya had been ecstatic about the news and eager to go to the facility. Scott, however, had learned to be more cautious after the mess that had been Kenmore. Summer had had the final word in the heated argument by managing to sedate Tenaya. The hybrid had woken up several hours later, locked in her room, drowsy but furious. Ziggy hadn't been able to do anything, half agreeing with Scott that they needed a plan instead of just going charging in, half siding with Tenaya because it **was** her brother.

Tenaya had, of course, won out.

"Here." He said, pulling the keys to Tenaya's black Ferrari out of his pocket. Tenaya gave him a startled look, making him grin abashedly. "I pick pocketed Scott." He admitted.

A wicked grin spread across Tenaya's lips in reply. "Check the rest of the Garage. I'll make sure they didn't touch my car." She ordered, snatching her keys. Ziggy nodded and raced down that stairs, making sure the Garage was really as empty as it had first appeared. Once he was sure that everyone was asleep and K wasn't hiding in the shadows as she sometimes did, he headed back over to Tenaya. Tenaya had shut the hood after checking over the engine a minute ago and was now sitting in the driver's seat. She was holding a small piece of paper in her hand, her eyes misty. Ziggy carefully slid into the passenger's seat. Tenaya's expression was open to the world, leaving her looking, for once, her proper age of only nineteen. Ziggy wasn't used to seeing her look so… vulnerable. It scared him.

"Tenaya?" He asked uncertainly, laying a careful hand on her arm. For a moment, she was silent. Then she looked over at him, her eyes glinting wetly in the dim light.

"I'm alright." She said finally. She carefully slipped the piece of paper into her pocket and started the car. "Let's go." She ordered. Despite his sudden unease, he obediently buckled up so they could drive out of the Garage and into the night.

-0-0-

Blue eyes watched the black Ferrari drive smoothly out of the building. Doctor K continued to watch the security feed long after her two Rangers had left, shoulders hunched under the weight of her decision. There was no taking it back now. Tenaya was already gone and besides, K didn't have a car to catch her in.

She turned away, trying to shove the guilt away. _She_ hadn't drawn the line; the team had drawn that line when they'd locked Tenaya in her room. The team had drawn the line when they'd taken the spark plugs from Tenaya's car and entrusted them to her….

No, she'd just stepped up to that line when she'd replaced the plugs and let Tenaya drive off.

From now on, the team would assume that if they had to drawn that line again, K would fall on Tenaya's side, no matter how illogical the decision. She feared they would be right.

She curled up in her chair, huddled actually, and thought of the note she'd carefully placed on the dash for Tenaya.

 _'In the dash is a flash drive. It's my excuse for letting you leave. Focus on finding your brother but don't leave that compound without information on Venjix. Good luck.'_

K sat there for a long time, allowing herself the self-doubt and self-pity she couldn't show outside this tiny room sealed away from the rest of the building. Then, slowly, she unfolded and walked out into her lab where she carefully arranged herself in front of her computers and silently awaited the fury of the team when they awoke.

-0-0-

Tenaya carefully ran her fingers over the smooth metal of the watch she'd found at the Venjix outpost. There was a little opening at the top where she thought the key she had always had would go, but it just spun around. It had been the only answer she'd found. It wasn't much; it was barely anything at all. It was all she had. She was getting fucking tired of running down dead ends. Her heart couldn't handle it much longer.

There had been another result, of course. The trip had managed to warn them of Venjix's next big attack; giving them enough to mount a counter-attack and stop it, even turn the weapon onto their side.

A weapon wasn't her brother.

She checked the clock and stood up from her bed. It was almost time but she had something she had to do first. She walked towards the lab, reaching into her pocket to finger the worn corner of the folded note that still rested there. She had spent the last few days playing with it, constantly unfolding it to read it. It was a small hope, a wonderful, bright hope but a small one. A small hope was sometimes enough. She had stared at it so much these past few days that the words were ingrained in her head. The ones written and the ones left unsaid. She could see the apology written in every line, the plea for forgiveness.

Tenaya marched towards K's desk, ignoring the younger woman's surprised stare, and settled the note gently on the table. Only then did she slowly raise her head to look into those blue eyes. "Thank you." She whispered; it sounded more like _I forgive you_ , like a billion other things neither of them was ready to say or hear yet, let alone accept.

Those eyes turned glossy and over-bright. "Of course." Came the quiet answer. K seemed like she didn't know what to do with herself; it was a feeling Tenaya shared. Things had been too tense between them for this to be anything but awkward. It felt like it should be different though. Tenaya hadn't been expecting it to be a big deal, hadn't expected for the room to suddenly brighten or the world to quake but it shouldn't be so… weird. Things were supposed to get easier now; this ache in her chest was supposed to go away now.

It didn't though. She needed something else, something indefinably _more_.

However, she had no more to give and still more to do. So she stepped back and away, gave a quick nod, and squashed the feeling that she was walking out of something she couldn't step back into. K pressed her lips together before saying. "So, tomorrow, right?"

"Tomorrow?"

"For training, remember?" K explained, looking at her with remarkable fragility. Tenaya was pretty - _completely_ \- sure that she wasn't scheduled for training tomorrow.

She smiled and nodded. "Of course."

-0-0-

This was a bad idea. This was a _very_ bad idea. Tenaya was going to regret this soon, she could already tell. Not that she had a choice. She'd been backed into this position. She had nowhere else to turn for information. Dear lord, that was a sad, scary thought. She watched the families playing noisily around the park, her heart in her throat. She didn't look over when someone sat down next to her, keeping her head steadfastly turned away.

"Let me make this straight." Dillon told her, his gaze heavy and affronted on the side of her face. "Getting that virus code, that was for _Ziggy_. Not you."

"I know."

Dillon nodded, finally turning to look at the rest of the park. "So, why did you have Ziggy tell me to come?"

"I want to make a deal." She said after a long pause. There it was. No more taking it back. No more walking away. This was such a bad idea.

Dillon actually threw his head back and laughed. She spun her head around to glare at him, finding nothing even vaguely funny about the situation she'd been forced into. Dillon turned to her with a vicious smirk. "What do you have that I could possibly want?"

"Ziggy."

That shut him up quickly. The laughing humor in his voice immediately deepened into a dark, angry snarl. The look in his eyes gave her the feeling that he was resisting the urge to fray her alive. Something dark and vicious was building in the back of those eyes, something quite willing to tear her apart. "What exactly," Dillon growled, voice enraged and very, very possessive. "Makes you think you can keep him from me?"

Tenaya gulped, true fear spiking in her. There it was: the brutal temper she'd only glimpsed before now, the temper that had allowed him to demand Ziggy's safety from Venjix and get away with it. Oh, this was turning out to be a horrific idea. Still, she lifted her chin and looked him in the eye, fighting not to shrink away from the monster she could see lurking in the back of his eyes, the leash keeping it at bay very short. A monster she was about to hand Ziggy over to. "You can only sneak him away for a few minutes at a time." She told him. "I can get you more. I can get you hours."

The rage eased a little as Dillon realized she wasn't planning on keeping Ziggy away. Wary unease replaced the anger; just beneath that, barely noticeable, the slightest flicker of consideration. "And what do I have to give you in return?" He asked, begrudgingly acceptant.

"I have a brother." She told him. "I don't know his name, or what happened to him, but I have one. I want to know more. You get that, I get you a whole night with Zig. It's a good deal."

"What makes you think I won't just kidnap him when I know I have all that time?" Dillon asked, smirk slipping back into place, all cocky arrogance again. His eyes though, those retained their careful wariness.

"If you were going to take him, you already would have." She replied. "My guess is, you don't trust the other machines not to kill him while you're out on assignment."

He continued to watch her for a few moments, weighing, judging. Finally, he stood up and up and shoved his hands into his pockets, watching the other families as she once had. "One week, I'll have what you want." He agreed. "But I'm only going as far as I can without risking getting caught; you're not Ziggy, you don't get more than that."

Tenaya nodded in acknowledgment, not saying that it was more than she had expected. She had expected rejection; as he'd said, she wasn't Ziggy. She made a move to stand up when Dillon looked at her over his shoulder, gaze cutting and dangerously ruthless. "You betray me," he said, voice coldly malicious, "I go after the little bitch doctor."

She froze, barely able to breathe beneath the fear that crashed through her. She was suddenly very glad she hadn't actually stood before he'd said that, her legs were shaking far too badly for her to support herself. She closed her eyes, mentally shaking away the image of a severely beaten K from her mind, and tried to find the bravado that she had walked into this conversation with. She had thought she was scared before. That had _nothing_ on this. Nothing at all. "Ziggy suggested the deal." She finally managed to tell him, opening her eyes to attempt to glare at him. Dillon's eyes looked pleased with her reaction. "And Ziggy's family. What do you think Ziggy will do to you if you hurt me?"

His expression turned only mildly curious. Obviously, he hadn't been spending as much time with Ziggy as she'd thought. Tenaya pushed herself to her feet and met his eyes, taking courage in the memory of the terror Ziggy had put K through those first two weeks after they'd found out about Venjix. "Dillon, that boy may not be very strong but he can be creative when he's vicious."

Dillon actually blanched at that. His expression was still disbelieving, but the wariness was back. That was getting somewhere. "So, we're agreed?" he said, now slightly apprehensive. She nodded briefly and walked away.

-0-0-

Dillon watched as the Black Ranger's trademark Ferrari turned the corner and coasted to a stop in front of the building where he'd arranged to meet Ziggy. He hadn't been able to find out much about the girl's brother. For some reason, most of the files regarding the frustrating young woman were corrupted, like someone had tried to delete them before realizing that would seem suspicious and destroying bits of the code for them instead. He had managed to find select bits of information in the file, managed to track their progress from one Venjix worker outpost to the next until they'd been separated and then brought individually to the Palace for hybrid experimentation. Those files had been too closely watched for him to even dare try and look at, so he had cut the search off there.

Not that he'd hadn't gotten a lot already. Real names, and damn had he had to do a lot of digging to find _those_ , ages, birthplace, as well as assorted body measurements, and thousands of little useless things that had somehow qualified them as hybrid candidates. Daniel and Amara Kane, 23 and 19 respectively, originally from Lawrence, Kansas, last known place of residence before the war being some small town in Maine he doubted anyone outside of it had ever heard of.

The whole thing had actually spiked his curiosity on why a failed, escaped hybrid the whole army was aware of deserved to have her files so closely watched. Not curious enough to risk his neck by looking at them of course, but enough to urge him to dig deeper in the corrupted files than he would have otherwise. As far as he was concerned now, he had done more than enough work to earn this reward.

He watched as Ziggy struggled to get the seat belt off before the car had even made a complete stop, propelling himself out of the vehicle and all but launching himself at Dillon. Dillon grinned as his arms automatically wrapped around Ziggy's waist, not budging an inch as the full force of Ziggy's honestly meager 115 pounds collided against him as fast as the younger man could manage. He leaned down to catch Ziggy's lips in a thorough kiss, not worried about Tenaya leaning against the side of her car with a huff of annoyance and slight amusement.

After a long moment, he pulled back, unable to stop the grin that slipped across his face at how flushed Ziggy looked and how heavily Ziggy was panting. Ziggy grinned up at him. "You brought something for her, right?" Ziggy asked.

He looked over Ziggy's shoulder at Tenaya and nudged his head in the direction he'd left a bag with the files he'd found in it. "Over there." He told her before turning his attention back to the very inviting lips in front of him. Ziggy certainly didn't complain. Dillon ran his hands up Ziggy's back, slipped under his jacket and shirt, trailing careful fingers along the line of Ziggy's spine. The young man in his arms shuddered with a low, surprised moan, as if he hadn't expected his back to be quite so sensitive; in response, Ziggy's tongue sneaked out to lick playfully at his lips. Dillon growled, more mischievous than anything, and followed after that teasing tongue, biting down gently on Ziggy's lips.

"Uh, guys, tone down the PDA, would you?" Tenaya demanded, walking back towards them, bag already thrown over her shoulder.

Dillon pulled back, too oddly content with Ziggy in his arms to give her more than a half-hearted glare. "What's PDA?" he muttered to Ziggy, who was completely ignoring Tenaya and eagerly pressing warm, open-mouthed kisses along his throat. "Public Displays of Affection." Ziggy replied distractedly, humming in appreciation as Dillon continued to slowly stroke his back.

"I give up on you two." Tenaya muttered, shaking her head and heading towards her car. "I'll be back for him an hour before sunrise!" she shouted, not that either of them gave her any attention.

Once the Ferrari had driven away, Dillon slowly disengaged from Ziggy. "Come on." He breathed over Ziggy's groan of disappointment, "there's something I want you to see." Ziggy followed him obediently, although he did spend the whole walk attempting to swallow Dillon's tongue. Dillon chuckled as he eased open the door into the building and headed for the elevator.

Whoever had built Corinth had been smart, had built more buildings than they'd need for years to come so the population could expand greatly without worrying about room. That left buildings with entire _floors_ abandoned for him to use as he wished. And he wished to use them. He pressed Ziggy against the wall of the elevator as they ascended, biting along Ziggy's neck and enjoying the soft mewing sounds tumbling out of the younger man's mouth. There were so many delicious things he wanted to do to the boy in his arms but he knew he'd only be able to do a few; that Ziggy would probably only be able to handle coming two or three times tonight before passing out, exhausted but content. So he had decided to do the one thing he truly needed to do instead of just wanted; to learn every inch of Ziggy's body, slow and easy, until Ziggy was crying for him to take him.

The door opened with a low bing, allowing Dillon to pull Ziggy from the wall and lead him towards the room that had been prepared for tonight. Ziggy froze when he entered the room, staring around in wide-eyed amazement. Dillon grinned at the look as Ziggy slowly pulled away from him to approach the wide windows along one wall that provided one of the better views of the city. He slipped up behind him to wrap his arms around Ziggy's waist, pushing his thumb beneath the edge of Ziggy's pants to rub slow circles on the skin of his hip. "Do you like it?" he asked softly.

"This is all very… romantic." Ziggy replied, sounding surprised and incredulous. Dillon chuckled softly and gently bit at the juncture of Ziggy's neck and shoulder. "I try." He replied calmly and slowly pulled the younger man to the nest of blankets and pillows he'd set up. Ziggy's jacket hit the floor on the way, ignored by both as Dillon ran his fingers over the curve of his neck and down his spine. Ziggy shivered against him, pressing an eager kiss to his lips as they tumbled down.

Ziggy moaned as Dillon settled above him, the heavy, warm weight of his body pressing him against the pillows. Dillon didn't wait to pull Ziggy's shirt off, immediately moving to trail his fingers over his ribs, leaving bands of heat across his abdomen. Ziggy arched up, his own hands trying to return the favor and strip Dillon of his shirt but Dillon gently grasped his hands and pulled them away. Trying not to whine in disappointment, he pulled away enough to give Dillon a put off look. Dillon smiled at him gently and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "We're doing this my way." He whispered against Ziggy's lips before leaning down to press slow kisses across his chest. Ziggy sighed pleasurably, letting his head fall back as Dillon slowly sucked and bit bruises across his chest.

Grinning at the soft, breathy sounds escaping Ziggy's kiss-bruised lips, Dillon leaned further down until he could easily pull one of Ziggy's nipples into his mouth. Ziggy actually whimpered as Dillon played with the small nub, rolling it between his teeth until it was red and hard. He pulled back and breathed slowly over the wet skin, enjoying the shudder Ziggy made. "Dillon…" Ziggy breathed, tugging at his hair briefly so he could drag him upwards into a deep kiss. When Ziggy's hands reached for his shirt again, Dillon let him pull it off.

Ziggy's hands eagerly explored the hard muscles revealed to him, causing Dillon to hiss softly in appreciation. Dillon's lips sealed over Ziggy's other nipple to bestow it the same treatment, pulling a loud moan from the trembling body beneath him. Ziggy arched up again, digging his nails into the skin of Dillon's back.

Eventually Dillon pulled Ziggy's pants off. By the time he did so, Ziggy was a panting, whimpering mess, cock hard and aching. He went wild at the first touch of Dillon's hand on his cock, slamming their mouths together with a desperate passion. A needy sound slipped past his lips when Dillon merely chuckled and, after a few slow, torturous pumps, let go to massage the tight ring of muscle around his opening with one finger.

One pale hand reached between them to tug urgently at Dillon's jeans, palm brushing against the warm bulge within. Dillon groaned, low and filthy, as Ziggy looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. "Hurry up." Ziggy muttered, commanding but desperate. Dillon huffed agreement, one hand moving to unbury the oil now hidden beneath the pillows as Ziggy fumbled with his jeans. He froze, fingers just brushing the oil bottle, when Ziggy's clever hands slipped inside his jeans to grasp his own length. His eyes fluttered shut as those long fingers sent shivers up his spine, painting circles across his skin. "Fuck." He breathed.

He finally grabbed the bottle and pulled back to look Ziggy in the eye. Ziggy's eyes had nearly been swallowed by his pupils and his face was flushed a deep red. His lips were bruised and bitten, half-open and very inviting. Dillon groaned softly, leaning down to greedily devour those lips as he coated his fingers in the oil. Ziggy gasped slightly when Dillon carefully eased one finger inside him then settled again, happily chasing his tongue. However, Ziggy drew back when Dillon pressed a second finger in, hissing and digging his nails into the back of Dillon's neck. He ignored the sharp bite of pain in his neck and moved his kisses down Ziggy's body slowly, leaving trails of heat across Ziggy's chest. Eventually Ziggy relaxed, fingers easing back from his neck to rub slowly down his back.

Dillon smiled against Ziggy's skin but didn't immediately push in a third finger. Instead, he slid down Ziggy's body and took him in his mouth. Ziggy gave a sharp cry, his back bowing as Dillon sealed his lips around Ziggy's cock. Soft moans slipped past Ziggy's lips as he fell back down and tangled his fingers desperately in Dillon's hair. "Please, Dillon…" Ziggy breathed, letting out a sharp gasp as Dillon's tongue circled in tip of his cock.

He waited until Ziggy could focus on nothing more than Dillon's tongue against him before carefully slipping a third finger inside the younger man. Ziggy squirmed briefly but otherwise gave no sign of consciously realizing that three of Dillon's fingers were now urging his body open. Ziggy gasped repeatedly, trying to suck in air that never seemed to be enough. After a few more moments, Dillon pulled off slowly, ripping a low, obscene sound from Ziggy's throat that sent a shudder through him.

Another delicious whimper fell from Ziggy's lips when Dillon also pulled out his fingers, looking up at him with eyes gone black. Dillon smiled slightly in response, leaning down to chase Ziggy's tongue again as he quickly coated his length in the oil. Once he was sure he was ready, he slowly pushed in. Every muscle in Ziggy's body went tense, shaking slightly with the effort of staying still as Dillon carefully moved until he was all the way inside. Ziggy pulled back from the kiss to bite down harshly on his lower lip. He didn't make a sound. Dillon kept as still as he could, pressing gentle kisses against the taunt skin of Ziggy's neck.

Finally, muscle by muscle, Ziggy relaxed. "Alright?" Dillon asked softly. Ziggy nodded, tugging briefly at his hair to pull him up for a kiss. Dillon pulled out slowly, back slamming back in, pulling identical groans from both of them. Ziggy moaned, the last of the pain vanishing as Dillon pumped inside him, and lifted his legs to wrap around Dillon's waist. The pace increased steadily, every thrust pulling a soft cry from Ziggy's lips as Dillon hit something inside him that made the room go white. Ziggy's nails were biting into Dillon's neck again but the older man didn't even notice, too caught up in how warm and tight Ziggy felt around.

They chased each other to the edge, bodies taunt with the pleasure of it, each eager to tumble over the edge into the bliss. Dillon's hands moves quickly across the younger man's body, once again finding all the places that made Ziggy moan. Ziggy gave a gasp that ended in a short, loud scream as he came. As the younger man shuddered around him, Dillon breathed out Ziggy's name brokenly, his own orgasm ripping out of him.

When the world finally settled back into focus, Dillon carefully slid out of the younger man then tumbled down to lay next him, panting softly. After a long moment, Ziggy moved so he lay sprawled across Dillon's chest comfortably. In response, Dillon draped one arm across his back. "I hope you know this." Ziggy breathed against Dillon's neck. "You are fucking amazing."

Dillon grinned at the complement. "You're not so bad yourself."

Ziggy hid his grin against Dillon's skin. After a few minutes, he felt sleep slowly drag his eyelids down. "Dillon?" he asked, voice too close and too fond. It somehow put Dillon's heart in his throat. "Can I keep you?"

Dillon froze under the younger man, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling as he struggled to find words. But it didn't matter, because when he finally dragged his gaze down towards Ziggy, the Ranger was already asleep.

After about two and a half hours, Dillon became aware that the younger man had woken up again when Ziggy started pressing warm, open-mouthed kisses across his neck. Dillon glanced down at him. "Hey. What are you doing?" he asked quietly.

Ziggy looked up at him, eyes darkly mischievous. Dillon felt himself swell at that look. "Can we do it again?" Ziggy asked, painting the words against his neck. Dillon grinned and rolled over so that he was once again pinning Ziggy down. "We have all night." He agreed, sliding inside the younger man's body again. Ziggy gave a soft moan, arching against him.

"You already have me." Dillon breathed quietly, watching as Ziggy's eyes went wide before the physical pleasure overtook him. Yet Dillon doubted the smile that bloomed across his face had anything to do with sex.

-0-0-

"Alright." Dr. K said, finally turning to look at the woman who had kept her occupied all night. "I do suppose the candy and movies are a reward for something, yes?"

"Nonsense." Tenaya said with a grin. " **I'm** the reward. Everything else is just a bonus."

K nodded. "Yes, I suppose so. Well, if you're going to lavish me with your sarcastic attentions, at least tell me what I have done to earn it."

Tenaya laughed softly at the banter before carefully taking her hand. "You're doing it now." She breathed. K arched an eyebrow, making Tenaya grin and press a kiss against her knuckles. "You're ignoring the fact that Ziggy Grover is not in his room tonight and will not be until sunrise. You are not going to ask questions and you are not going to tell the team."

K narrowed her eyes, watching Tenaya carefully. Finally she nodded. "If anything goes wrong, I'm blaming you." She said calmly. She didn't think before she leaned against Tenaya's side, resting her head there. Tenaya paused for a moment, then continued as if nothing new had happened.

-0-0-

Venjix watched as one of its oldest generals slowly entered the throne room. It was damaged. That could be fixed. The arrogance that had wormed itself into its programming was a flaw that could not be. No matter. It was loyal; that was more than could be said for his current front-line general. Where was the boy? Fraternizing with the enemy no doubt.

He had had such hope for Dillon. None of it had gotten him anything.

"Kilobot. It pleases me that you have returned."

"I am glad to have found my way back, Lord Venjix."

"You have returned in good time. I have a task for you. There is a boy in Corinth who is causing me trouble. I wish him gone." He paused before adding. "Make sure Dillon sees him die."

"As you wish, Lord Venjix."

-0-0-

Tenaya slowly entered Ziggy's room the next morning, nearly the afternoon, and stared at the boy laying on the bed. He was staring at the far wall with an almost stupid grin, fiddling with the chain necklace he always wore. "You're actually awake." She said, surprised. She hadn't expected him to be up for a few more hours at least. Ziggy had been all but asleep on his feet when she'd picked him up at sunrise; Dillon had been horribly smug about it all.

Ziggy's eyes swung towards her. "I'm up." He paused for a minute before adding. "I'm not moving yet. I'm a little achy." He shifted uncomfortably on the bed to emphasis.

Tenaya made a face she hoped properly displayed how much she did not need to know that. "Thanks. I really needed that mental image." She drawled, making Ziggy laugh.

"No problem, 'Aya."

Tenaya rolled her eyes at his blasé tone, chuckling under her breath. When she glanced back at Ziggy, he was looking at her with consideration. "Was the information good?" he asked quietly.

"I know my name." she answered. She hadn't meant for it to come out so soft, so vulnerable. But she could see Ziggy's eyes soften in understanding. He did understand which was more than she'd expected from anyone. "Though honestly," she added, because she still wasn't good about the talking and the feelings. "I think Tenaya's grown on me."

"I prefer it to." Ziggy agreed.

She offered him a small smile and turned to walk away. She paused a step out the door and looked back at Ziggy and the too big grin that made him look even more like an idiot than he normally did. "Ziggy," she called, making that bright brown gaze swing towards her again. "When you do head downstairs, try to look like you didn't just get laid."

Ziggy blinked at her for a minute before that stupid smile returned. "Sure thing." He replied. Tenaya sighed heavily but left the Green Ranger's room.

Two hours later, Tenaya really wasn't surprised to see Ziggy slowly coming down with his silly grin. She shook her head and went into the kitchen. She wasn't hiding there. She wasn't. She just really didn't want to have to deal with the others when they puzzled out Ziggy's attitude. The person who had helped him slip out would be obvious after a moment of thought. And she definitely wasn't spying on them from the kitchen doorway. She was just… observing.

After half an hour, Summer walked in, giggling softly to herself. Tenaya had since abandoned her post near the entryway and had taken a seat at the counter, munching on a few pieces of apple. Tenaya raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you playing pool with Ziggy?"

"I was." Summer replied, her grin full of good humor. "And every few minutes he stops grinning like a loon and remembers what he's supposed to be doing with the pole in his hands." Tenaya groaned and hid her face in her hands, making Summer laugh. "What? I think he's adorable when he's in love."

Summer didn't notice, but her words made every muscle in Tenaya's body tense. She quickly stood up from her chair and walked back to the entryway, finding Ziggy standing near the pool table, staring down at the balls with a grin that had nothing to do with playing pool. She took a second, very close look at that smile and agreed with Summer. That was not a 'just got laid' smile. That was a 'sickeningly in love' smile.

Well, shit.

"Summer, I need to steal your pool partner for a moment." She called, already walking towards the table. Summer made some sound of acknowledgment behind her. Tenaya reached out and jerked the pool cue from Ziggy's hands before grabbing his elbow and leading him outside. He blinked horribly wide brown eyes at her as she dragged him along. "Tenaya?" he asked in confusion.

Once they were safely outside, she stopped and gripped his shoulders. "Do you love him?" she demanded, holding his gaze intently. Ziggy blinked at her, beyond startled. Then, slowly, she watched as a blush crept its way up his neck.

"What?" he asked, but his eyes said he understood perfectly.

"Dillon." She said shortly. "Do you love him?"

"I… uh…" Ziggy gulped and looked at her with panicked eyes. "I might have, um," The dark glare she pinned him with ordered him to finish the thought. "I might have asked if I could keep him." Ziggy finally said, finally acknowledging that there was no way to get out of telling her. "And he might have said yes."

Tenaya stared at him, her grip on his shoulders going slack in shock. When all she did was just stare at him for several long moments, he reached up and gently poked her shoulder. "Please tell me I didn't just break you." He begged. "K will kill me if I broke you."

Tenaya grew back from him, drawing already weary hands down her face. "You are a fucking moron." She said with more calm than the situation probably warranted. "Did you even think before you opened your mouth?"

"Nope." He chirped, obviously taking heart in the fact that she hadn't started yelling yet. "Afterglow does that."

Tenaya stopped and gaped at him. Before she could muster an answer to that, the sirens went off. She sighed and glared at the young man before her. "Get in the car." She ordered. "We're going to talk about this later." He nodded and dashed inside.

-0-0-

Dillon wasn't there.

That was the first, horrified thought that crossed Tenaya's mind when she stepped onto the battlefield. Dillon wasn't there. That couldn't be good. In his stead was some new general she had never seen before. But the mere sight of him put a shiver down her spine. That fact that there wasn't an actual attack-bot in sight was just an added bonus to the collected weirdness of this situation. She touched Ziggy's wrist quickly to get his attention. "Stay near me." She ordered. "I don't like this."

"Where is he?" Ziggy asked, voice stricken. She just shook her head and reached for her morpher.

That was right when everything turned to chaos.

There were suddenly Grinders _everywhere_. They never even got the chance to morph. It didn't take long before they were all separated from each other. She really didn't like Ziggy not being at her back, not when Dillon wasn't here to watch his. It she hadn't been surrounded, it would have been rather funny, how she now so easily trusted Dillon with the boy's safety. She wondered when she was going to have to pay for that trust.

Then that _thing_ , the general, turned to where she could just barely make out a flicker of green. Her stomach dropped. "Ziggy!" she shouted, starting to just shove Grinders out of his way to get to Ziggy instead of breaking them apart.

There was a sudden blur of black and purple headed straight for her friend. Then everything exploded.

"ZIGGY!"

-0-0-

Ziggy slowly opened his eyes back up as the ringing in his ears started to disappear. For a long moment, everything was blobs of color. Then, finally, her eyes focused on the small rust-colored key dangling just above his face. He blinked up at it, struggling to place why it looked so familiar. Oh yeah. Tenaya had one just like it. She was always wearing it, hiding it beneath her shirt. He smiled weakly, reaching up to wrap it in his hand.

The hand that covered his was much too big to be Tenaya's.

The eyes that swam into focus next were dark brown and so achingly familiar. Then the face. Suddenly, Ziggy was staring up at Dillon, straight into the panicked brown eyes. Except, Ziggy kept seeing Tenaya; her brown eyes layered over Dillon's, exactly the same; her smirk, so much like Dillon's.

"Ziggy?" Dillon asked, his voice finally emerging from the ruckus of sound filling his ears.

"I'm alright." He managed to mumble out. Dillon's face slackened with relief; he pulled Ziggy up, holding him tightly to his chest. Ziggy coughed, then muttered that he couldn't breathe, making Dillon's grip lessen just a little.

"Ziggy!"

That was Tenaya's voice. He pushed away slightly to see her taking out the last few Grinders standing between her and them. The rest of the team was doing the same. She slowed when she saw Dillon clutching him to his chest. Dillon stared at her for a long moment then helped him to his feet and shoved him at her. Ziggy yelped but quickly found his footing, turning to stare at Dillon. There was nothing comforting in those brown eyes now.

Dillon turned away from them to face the new general and snarled. "We had a deal." Dillon hissed, stalking closer. The machine didn't even get a chance to respond before Dillon attacked. It hesitated, probably in surprise, and that brief hesitation was all Dillon needed to rip it apart.

"Um…" Scott muttered, coming up to stand next to him. "Is he on our side now?" He sounded so very confused.

"He's on someone's." Tenaya whispered, one hand on his shoulder to support him.

Ziggy smiled, too wide and too ridiculously fond for his own good as Dillon pulled off its head and threw it to the side before stalking towards them. He stepped away from the group minutely, ignoring them as they all tensed. Dillon's eyes met his, dark and breath-takingly intense. Just as Scott opened his mouth to say something, Dillon reached forward, tangled his hands in Ziggy's jacket and tugged him into a passionate kiss, just edging into desperate. "Mine." Dillon breathed against his lips. Ziggy thought he made some sound of agreement, but the kiss was doing amazing things to his head so he wasn't sure.

Finally, Dillon pulled back, allowing him to breathe. Ziggy sighed, resting his head against Dillon's shoulder and trying to ignore the minor aches throughout his body. Behind him, he could hear Scott finally breaking the silence. "Wait, I'm confused. Aren't we supposed to be fighting each other? Why are they making out? Who's the enemy again?"

Dillon chuckled next to his ear, a sudden, perfect match to the sound Tenaya made. Dillon pulled back, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "I have a present to deliver to Venjix." He breathed against Ziggy's skin before turning away to pick up the general's head. He gave them a jaunty wave over his shoulder as he walked away.

Ziggy turned to look at the rest of his team and winced when he saw the look on Scott's face. "Um… I can explain?"

-0-0-

Honestly, it took him so long to put together because Scott almost immediately started yelling at him. The explosion had rattled his brain enough that he hadn't immediately registered what that key meant but Scott was the one who had distracted him enough that it took him almost an hour for the pieces to fall into place. But when it eventually did, he sat bolt upright from where he'd been ordered to rest on the couch and stared across the Garage at Tenaya.

Maybe, if it had just been the key, he could have written it off. But it wasn't just the key. There was, if one looked for it, a certain resemblance between Dillon and Tenaya: the same brown eyes and dark brown hair, the same smirk and chuckle, the same sharp wit and gruff charm. It was a familial resemblance. Almost like siblings.

Like a brother.

Huh. Well, fuck.

Really, Ziggy only had one option if he wished the team to continue to believe in his mental sanity. He pick-pocketed Tenaya. Once the watch she always carried around was safely in his possession, he slipped out of the Garage. He stood outside for a minute before he headed for the building Dillon and he had had sex in only a day ago. He didn't go inside, merely sat next to the door and waited for Dillon to appear.

As always, he did.

The minute the older man appeared, Ziggy shot up and stormed over to him. "Why do you have it?" he demanded, chasing the content expression off Dillon's face.

"What?"

"That key. Why do you have it?" he said shortly, snapping his hand out to grab the chain around Dillon's neck. The older man's hand sealed over his wrist, preventing him from lifting the necklace from beneath his shirt. Ziggy took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "You didn't have this the other night. Why do you have it now?"

Dillon's expression was torn when he meet the older man's eyes. Dillon didn't remove his grip on Ziggy's wrist. "It's important… to me." He finally said, that odd note in his voice that was always in Tenaya's whenever she thought of her past. Ziggy gulped, understanding. He couldn't trust Dillon with anyone in Corinth but himself; Dillon couldn't trust him with the knowledge of this key. He doubted even Venjix knew about it. He pulled Tenaya's watch from his pocket. "Do you recognize this?" he asked softly.

Dillon's eyes focused on it, an odd look crossing his face briefly. "No." he eventually said, shaking his head minutely.

Ziggy sighed and tugged carefully on the chain around Dillon's neck. "Let me." He breathed. Dillon paled, just a little, but slowly, finger by finger, eased his hand away from Ziggy's wrist. The younger man smiled gently at Dillon and pulled the key out from beneath Dillon's shirt. Carefully slipping the key into the hole at the top, he wound it then let it play. Dillon's eyes turned misty as the song swept over them, no longer looking at him.

Ziggy shuddered as the truth set in. He'd found Tenaya's brother.

Dillon's hand slid under his to hold the watch. "What is this?" he asked.

"It's Tenaya's." he breathed. "It belongs to her brother."

Dillon jerked away from him, watching him with wide eyes. "No." he denied, shaking his head. "No, that's not possible."

"Why not?" he asked quietly.

Before Dillon could reply, a familiar black Ferrari drove up. Ziggy sighed and closed his eyes. Tenaya stalked towards him, a sharp scowl on her face. "What are you doing?" she demanded. "You couldn't have just stayed put until Scott had calmed down a little? I know you're kind of sickeningly in love right… now…" she trailed, finally noticing how Dillon was staring at her with wide, panicked eyes. "What?" she asked defensively. She glanced back at Ziggy. "What's going on?"

"I found your brother." He said. Tenaya visibly brightened until Ziggy pointedly slid his eyes towards Dillon. A confused expression slipped across her face as she followed his gaze. Her eyes landed on the key hanging from Dillon's neck. "You have got to be kidding me." She breathed but one hand slowly drifted up to the chain that held her own.

The second her hand pulled out the key, Dillon took a step back. Ziggy didn't think when he snapped out his hand to grasp Dillon's, effectively freezing him where he stood. "This isn't possible." Dillon said again. The panic was fading into something almost lost. No more shield, no more guarded eyes. A Dillon that was almost human and trusting him with everything.

"Why not?" he asked again. Dillon had no answer.

They didn't go back to the Garage. Instead, Tenaya called K and asked for a long night away. Obviously hearing something in Tenaya's voice even he couldn't, the young doctor granted it. So the three turned and headed for the building behind them, ascending to the floor where he had spent last night. It had obviously been cleaned up but there were still pillows everywhere and it was easy to lie down and curl up against Dillon's chest. The older man kept one arm draped across his waist at all times, even as he talked to Tenaya.

Over time, Dillon slowly calmed down enough to agree that it was possible Ziggy was right and Tenaya was his sister. As the night wore on, he even seemed to enjoy the idea of family. However, it wasn't until Tenaya made a strangled noise in the back that he turned to look at her. The young woman was staring at them with a tense expression. "I just realized, I know more about my brother's sex life than I'd ever hoped to." She said, sounding choked.

Ziggy ignored the resulting conversation, shifting back to his original position against Dillon's chest. Slowly, he started to fall asleep there, warm and content. Eventually the conversation between the two siblings petered off. "So, does this mean you're on our side now?" Ziggy asked into the silence, half -asleep, nuzzling against Dillon's neck. The room went tense for a long moment before Dillon sighed into his hair.

"I haven't been on Venjix's side for a while. Not since I challenged him about hurting you near Kenmore. Guess officially being on your side can't be all that bad." He said. Ziggy hid his smile in Dillon's neck, placing a quick kiss there.

"Can I keep you?" Dillon asked in a whisper into his curls.

"You already have me."


End file.
